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THE LEGEBS AID MYTHS 

OP 

HAWAII. 

THE FABLES AND TOLK-LOKE 

OF A 

STEAN^GE PEOPLE. 



BY ^^ 



HIS HAWAHAN MAJESTY KALAKAUA. 



EDITED AND WITH AN INTRODUCTION 

BY 

HON. R. M. DAGGETT, 

Late United States Minister to the Hawaiian Islands. 




New York : 

CHARLES L. WEBSTER & COMPANY. 

1888. 






COPTBIGHT, 1887, 

CHARLES L. WEBSTER & CO. 



. HEWITT, PRINTER AND ELEOTROTYPER, 27 ROSE ST. 



LC Control Number 



hhi 



tmp96 026245 



PREFACE. 



FOR material in the compilation of many of the legends em- 
braced in this volume obligation is acknowledged to H. 
R. H. Liliuokalani ; General John Owen Dominis ; His Excel- 
lency Walter M. Gibson ; Professor W. D. Alexander ; Mrs. E. 
Beckley, Government Librarian ; Mr. W. James Smith, Secre- 
tary of the National Board of Education ; and especially to 
Hon. Abram Fornander, the learned author of "An Account 
of the Polynesian Race, its Origin and Migrations." 

The legends, in the order of their publication, beginning 
with the first and ending with " The Destruction of the Tem- 
ples," may be regarded, so far as they refer to the prominent 
political events with which they are associated, as in a measure 
historic. Those following have been selected as the most strik- 
ing and characteristic of what remains of the fabulous folk- 
lore of the Hawaiian group. 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE 

Preface 5 

Hawaiian Legends : Introduction g-65 

Hina, the Helen of Hawaii. 67-94 

The Royal Hunchback 95-II3 

The Triple Marriage of Laa-mai-kahiki 115-135 

The Apotheosis of Pele 137-154 

Hua, King of Hana I55-I73 

The Iron Knife. 175-205 

The Sacred Spear-Point 207-225 

Kelea, the Surf-Rider of Maui. 227-246 

Umi, the Peasant Prince of Hawaii 247-315 

Lono and Kaikilani 317-331 

The Adventures of Iwikauikaua. ...... 333-349 

The Prophecies of Keaulumoku 351-367 

The Cannibals of Halemanu 369-380 

Kaiana, the Last of the Hawaiian Knights 381-408 

Kaala, the Flower of Lanai 409-427 

The Destruction of the Temples 429-446 

The Tomb of Puupehe 447-452 

The Story of Laieikawai . 453-480 

Lohiau, the Lover of a Goddess 481-497 

Kahavari, Chief of Puna 499-507 

Kahalaopuna, the Princess of Manoa 509-522 

Appendix. 523-530 



The Legends and Myths of Hawaii. 



HAWAIIAN LEGENDS : INTRODUCTION. 

Physical Characteristics of the Hawaiian Islands — Historic Outlines — The 
Tabu — Ancient Religion — Ancient Government — Ancient Arts, Ha- 
bits and Customs — The Hawaii of To-day. 

GENERAL RETROSPECT. 

THE legends following are of a group of sunny islands lying 
almost midway between Asia and America — a cluster of 
volcanic craters and coral-reefs, where the mountains are man- 
tled in perpetual green and look down upon valleys of eternal 
spring ; where for two-thirds of the year the trade-winds, sweep- 
ing down from the northwest coast of America and softened in 
their passage southward, dally with the stately cocoas and spread- 
ing palms, and mingle their cooling breath with the ever-living 
fragrance of fruit and blossom. Deeply embosomed in the silent 
-wastes of the broad Pacific, with no habitable land nearer than 
two thousand miles, these islands greet the eye of the approach- 
ing mariner like a shadowy paradise, suddenly lifted from the 
t)lue depths by the malicious spirits of the world of waters, 
either to lure him to his destruction or disappear as he drops 
his anchor by the enchanted shore. 

The legends are of a little archipelago which was unknown 
to the civilized world until the closing years of the last century, 
and of a people who for many centuries exchanged no word or 
product with the rest of mankind ; who had lost all knowledge, 
save the little retained by the dreamiest of legends, of the great 
-world beyond their island home ; whose origin may be traced to 
the ancient Cushites of Arabia, and whose legends repeat the 
story of the Jewish genesis ; who developed and passed through 



THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 



an age of chivalry somewhat more barbarous, perhaps, but scarce- 
ly less affluent in deeds of enterprise and valor than that which 
characterized the contemporaneous races of the continental 
world ; whose chiefs and priests claimed kinship with the gods, 
and step by step told back their lineage not only to him who rode 
the floods, but to the sinning pair whose re-entrance to the for- 
feited joys of Paradise was prevented by the large, white bird of 
Kane ; who fought without shields and went to their death with- 
out fear ; whose implements of war and industry were of wood, 
stone and bone, yet who erected great temples to their gods, and 

constructed barges and 
canoes which they navi- 
gated by the stars ; who 
peopled the elements 
with spirits, reverenced 
the priesthood, bowed 
to the revelations of 
their prophets, and 
submitted without 
complaint to the op- 
pressions of the tabu; 
who observed the rite 
of circumcision, built 
places of refuge after 
the manner of the an- 
cient Israelites, and 
held sacred the religi- 
ous legends of the 
priests and chronologi- 
cal meles of the chiefs. 
As the mind reverts to the past of the Hawaiian group, and 
dwells for a moment upon the shadowy history of its people, 
mighty forms rise and disappear — men of the stature of eight or 
nine feet, crowned with helmets of feathers and bearing spears 
thirty feet in length. Such men were Kiha, and Liloa, and Umi, 
and Lono, all kings of Hawaii during the fifteenth and sixteenth 
centuries ; and little less in bulk and none the less in valor was- 
the great Kamehameha, who conquered and consolidated the 
several islands under one government, and died as late as 1819. 
And beside Umi, whose life was a romance, stands his humble 




Mahiole, or Feathered V^^ar-Helmet. 



INTRODUCTION. 



13 



Pahoa, or Wooden Dagger. 



Shark's-Teeth Knife. 



Flint-edged Knife. 



Stone Battle-Axh. 



Stone Battlb-Axe. 



Ihe, or Javelin, 6 to 8 feet 1 



Spear, 16 to 20 feet long. 



GROUP OF ANCIENT WEAPONS. 



14 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

friend Maukaleoleo, who, with his feet upon the ground, could 
reach the cocoanuts of standing trees ; and back of him in the 
past is seen Kana, the son of Hina, whose height was measured 
by paces. 

And, glancing still farther backward through the centuries, 
we behold adventurous chiefs, in barges and double canoes a. 
hundred feet in length, making the journey between the Ha- 
waiian and more southern groups, guided only by the sun and. 
stars. Later we see battles, with dusky thousands in line. 
The warriors are naked to the loins, and are armed with spears,^ 
slings, clubs, battle-axes, javelins and knives of wood or ivory. 
They have neither bows nor shields. They either catch with 
their hands or ward with their own the weapons that are 
thrown. Their chiefs, towering above them in stature, have 
thrown off their gaudy feather cloaks and helmets, and, with 
spear and stone halberd, are at the front of battle. The op- 
posing forces are so disposed as to present a right and left 
wing and centre, the king or principal chief commanding the 
latter in person. In the rear of each hostile line are a large 
number of women with calabashes of food and water with which 
to refresh their battling fathers, husbands and brothers. While 
the battle rages their wails, cries and prayers are incessant, and 
when defeat menaces their friends they here and there take part 
in the combat. The augurs have been consulted, sacrifices and 
promises to the gods have been made, and, as the warring lines 
approach, the war-gods of the opposing chiefs, newly decorated 
and attended by long-haired priests, are borne to the front. 
War-cries and shouts of defiance follow. The priests retire, and 
the slingers open the battle. Spears are thrown, and soon the 
struggle is hand-to-hand all over the field. They fight in groups 
and squads around their chiefs and leaders, who range the field 
in search of enemies worthy of their weapons. No quarter is 
given or expected. The first prisoners taken are reserved as 
offerings to the gods, and are regarded as the most precious of 
sacrifices. Finally the leading chief of one of the opposing 
armies falls. A desperate struggle over his body ensues, and his 
dispirited followers begin to give ground and are soon in retreat. 
Some escape to a stronghold in the neighboring mountains, and 
a few, perhaps, to a temple of refuge ; but the most of them are 
overtaken and slain. The prisoners who are spared become the 



INTRODUCTION. 1 5 

slaves of their captors, and the victory is celebrated with feast- 
ing and bountiful sacrifices to the gods. 

This is a representative battle of the past, either for the 
supremacy of rival chiefs or in repelling invasion from a neigh- 
boring island. But here and there we catch glimpses of actual 
conflicts indicative of the warlike spirit and chivalry of the early 
Hawaiians. Far back in the past we see the beautiful Hina ab- 
ducted from her Hawaiian husband by a prince of Molokai, and 
kept a prisoner in the fortress of Haupu until her sons grow ta 
manhood, when she is rescued at the end of an assault which 
leaves the last of her defenders dead. Later we see the eight 
hundred helmeted chiefs of the king of Hawaii, all of noble 
blood, hurling themselves to destruction against the spears of the 
armies of Maui on the plains of Wailuku. And then, less than a 
generation after, Kamehameha is seen in the last battle of the 
conquest, when, at the head of sixteen thousand warriors, he 
sweeps the Oahuan army over the precipice of Nuuariu and be- 
comes the master of the archipelago. Finally we behold Kekua- 
okalani, the last defender in arms of the Hawaiian gods and tem- 
ples, trampling upon the edict of the king against the worship of 
his fathers, and dying, with his faithful wife Manono, on the field 
of Kuamoo. 

In the midst of these scenes of blood the eye rests with re- 
lief upon numerous episodes of love, friendship and self-sacri- 
fice touching with a softening color the ruddy canvas of the 
past. We see Kanipahu, the exiled king of Hawaii, delving like a 
common laborer on a neighboring island, and refusing to accept 
anew the sceptre in his old age because his back had become 
crooked with toil and he could no longer look over the heads of 
his subjects as became a Hawaiian king. We see Umi, a rustic 
youth of royal mien and mighty proportions, boldly leap the 
palace-walls of the great Liloa, push aside the spears of the 
guards, enter the royal mansion, seat himself in the lap of the 
king, and through the exhibition of a forgotten token of love re- 
ceive instant recognition as his son. And now Lono, the royal 
great-grandson of Umi, rises before us, and we see him lured 
from self-exile by the voice of his queen, reaching him in secret 
from without the walls of the sovereign court of Oahu, to return 
to Hawaii and triumph over his enemies. These and many other 
romantic incidents present themselves in connection with the 



1 6 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

early Hawaiian kings and princes, and are offered in the suc- 
ceeding pages with every detail of interest afforded by available 
tradition. 

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS. 

A few general remarks concerning the physical characteris- 
tics of the Hawaiian Islands would seem to be appropriate in 
presenting a collection of legends dealing alike with the history 
and folk-lore of their people. The islands occupy a place in a 
great waste of the Pacific between the nineteenth and twenty- 
third degrees of north latitude, and the one hundred and fifty- 
fourth and one hundred and sixty-first degrees of longitude west 
from Greenwich. They are two thousand one hundred miles 
southwest from San Francisco, and about the same distance 
from Tahiti. 

The group consists of ten islands, including two that are little 
more than barren rocks. The farthest are about three hundred 
miles from each other, measuring from their extreme boundaries, 
and their aggregate area is a little more than six thousand one 
hundred square miles. Of the eight principal islands all are 
habitable, although the small islands of Niihau and Kahoolawe 
are used almost exclusively as cattle-ranges. 

The most of the shores of the several islands are fringed 
with coral, but their origin seems to be indisputably shown in 
the numerous craters of extinct volcanoes scattered throughout 
the group, and in the mighty fires still blazing from the moun- 
tain-heights of Hawaii. 

By far the larger part of the area of the islands is mountain- 
ous ; but from the interior elevations, some of them reaching 
altitudes of from ten to fourteen thousand feet, flow many small 
streams of sweet water, widening into fertile valleys as they reach 
the coast, while here and there between them alluvial plateaus 
have been left by the upland wash. 

With rare exceptions the mountain-sides are covered with 
vegetation, some of sturdy growth, capable of being wrought into 
building materials and canoes, while lower down the ohia, the 
palm, the banana, and the bread-fruit stand clothed in perpetual 
green, with groves of stately cocoas between them and the sea. 

Once the fragrant sandal-wood was abundant in the moun- 
tains, but it became an article of commerce with the natives in 



INTRODUCTION. 1 7 

their early intercourse with the white races, and is now rarely- 
seen. Once the valleys and plateaus were covered with growing 
taro and potatoes ; now the cane and rice of the foreigner have 
usurped the places of both, and in the few shaded spots that have 
been left him the forgiving and revengeless Hawaiian sadly 
chants his wild songs of the past. 

Neither within the memory of men nor the reach of their 
legends, which extend back more than a thousand years, has 
there been an active volcano in the group beyond the large isl- 
and of Hawaii, which embraces two-thirds of the solid area of 
the archipelago. The mighty crater of Haleakala, more than 
thirty miles in circumference, on the island of Maui, has slept 
in peace among the clouds for ages, and hundreds of lesser and 
lower craters, many of them covered with vegetation, are found 
scattered among the mountains and foot-hills of the group ; but 
their fires have long been extinct, and the scoria and ashes buried 
at their bases tell the story of their activity far back in the past. 

It must have been a sight too grand for human eyes to wit- 
ness when all these dead volcanic peaks, aglow with sulphurous 
flames, lit up the moonless midnights of the eight Hawaiian seas 
Avith their combined bombardment of the heavens ! 

On the island of Hawaii alone have the fires of nature re- 
mained unextinguished. At intervals during the past thousand 
years or more have Mauna Kea, Mauna Hualalai and Mauna 
Loa sent their devastating streams of lava to the sea, and to-day 
the awful, restless and ever-burning caldron of Kilauea, nearly 
a mile in circumference, is the grandest conflagration that lights 
up the earth. Within its lurid depths, in fiery grottoes and cham- 
bers of burning crystal, dwell Pele and her companions, and 
offerings are still thrown to them by superstitious natives. Do 
they yet believe in these deities after more than sixty years of 
Christian teaching ? after their temples have been leveled and 
their gods have been destroyed ? after their tabus have been 
broken and their priesthood has been dethroned and dishon- 
ored ? The only answer is, " The offerings are still made." 

Although the channel and ocean coasts of the islands are 
generally bold, rocky and precipitous, there are numerous bays 
and indentations partially sheltered by reefs and headlands, and 
many stretches of smooth and yellow beach, where the waves, 
touched by the kona, or the trade-wind's breath, chase each other 



1 8 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

high up among the cocoa's roots and branches of the humble 
hau-U^^ clinging to the sands. The harbor of Honolulu, on the 
island of Oahu, is the only one, however, where passengers and 
freights of ocean crafts may be received or landed without the 
aid of lighters. 

The most of the useful and ornamental growths of the trop- 
ics now flourish on the islands. The indigenous plants, how- 
ever, are confined to the banana, plantain, cocoanut, breadfruit, 
oJiia, sugar-cane, arrow-root, yam, sweet potato, taro, strawberry, 
raspberry and ohelo. The lime, orange, mango, tamarind, pa- 
paia, guava, and every other edible product, aside from those 
named as indigenous, are importations of the past century. 

The only domestic animals of the ancient Hawaiians were 
dogs, swine and fowls, and the most formidable four-legged 
creatures found in their fields and forests were mice and liz- 
ards. Wild geese, including a species pecuHar to the islands, 
ducks, snipe and plover were abundant in their seasons, but seem 
to have been sparely eaten ; and owls, bats, and a few varieties 
of birds of simple song and not over-brilliant plumage made up 
about the sum total of animal life on the islands a hundred years 
ago. But the native could well afford to be content with this 
limited provision, since it did not include snakes, mosquitoes, 
centipedes, tarantulas, or scorpions. 

To what processes of creation or isolation do the Hawaiian 
Islands owe their existence ? Were they raised from the depths 
of the ocean by volcanic action, as plainly suggested by their 
formation ? or are they a part of a great sunken continent which 
speculation, sustained by misty tradition, claims once occupied 
the Polynesian seas ? Hawaiian itieles mention islands no longer 
to be found, and the facility with which communication was 
maintained between the Hawaiian and more southern groups 
previous to the twelfth century renders plausible the assump- 
tion that this intercourse was abruptly terminated six or seven 
centuries ago by the disappearance of a number of intervening 
atolls or islands which had served as guides to early Polynesian 
navigators. The gigantic ruins of temples and other structures 
found on Easter and one or two other islands of the equatorial 
Pacific are almost unanswerable arguments in favor of the theory 
of a sunken Polynesian continent ; but the question will proba- 
bly never be removed beyond the field of surmise. 



IN TROD UCTION. 1 9 



HISTORIC OUTLINES. 

The source and early history of the Hawaiian people, and, 
in fact, of the Polynesian race, of which they are a part, are in- 
volved in doubt. They have generally been regarded as an off- 
shoot of the great Malayan family ; but more recent as well as 
more thorough investigation, particularly by Judge Fornander, 
the learned and conscientious historian, with reasonable conclu- 
siveness shows the Polynesian and Malayan races to be of dis- 
tinct and widely different origin. 

Accepting this conclusion, we trace the strictly Polynesian 
tribes to an Aryan beginning, somewhere in Asia Minor or Ara- 
bia. There, in the remote past, it is assumed, they were brought 
in close contact with early Cushite and Chaldeo-Arabian civiliza- 
tions. Subsequently drifting into India, they to some extent 
amalgamated with the Dravidian races, and, following the chan- 
nels of the great Chaldean commerce oi that period, at length 
found a hnme in the Asiatic archipelago from Sumatra to Lu- 
zon and Timor. 

The exact time of their settlement on the large coast islands 
of southern Asia cannot be definitely determined, but their le- 
gends and genealogies leave little room to doubt that it was con- 
temporaneous witTi the Malay and Hindoo invasions of Sumatra, 
Java, and other islands of the archipelago, during the first and 
second centuries of the Christian era, that the Polynesians were 
pushed out — not at once in a body, but by families and commu- 
nities covering a period of years — to the smaller and more remote 
islands of the Pacific. 

Their first general rendezvous was in the Fiji group, where 
they left their impress upon the native Papuans. Expelled 
from, or voluntarily leaving, the Fijis, after a sojourn there of 
several generations, the Polynesians scattered over the Pacific, 
occupying by stages the several groups of islands where they are 
now found. Moving by the way of the Samoan and Society 
Islands, the migratory wave did not reach the Hawaiian group 
until about the middle of the sixth century. 

Nanaula, a distinguished chief, was the first to arrive from 
the southern islands. It is not known whether he discovered the 
group by being blown northward by adverse winds, or in de- 
liberately adventuring far out upon the ocean in search of new 



20 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

lands. In either event, he brought with him his gods, priests, 
prophets and astrologers, and a considerable body of followers 
and retainers. He was also provided with dogs, swine and 
fowls, and the seeds and germs of useful plants for propaga- 
tion. It is probable that he found the group without human 
inhabitants. 

During that period — probably during the life of Nanaula — 
other chiefs of less importance arrived with their families and 
followers either from Tahiti or Samoa. They came in barges 
and large double canoes capable of accommodating from fifty 
to one hundred persons each. They brought with them not only 
their priests and gods, but the earliest of Polynesian traditions. 
It is thought that none of the pioneers of the time of Nanaula 
ever returned to the southern islands, nor did others immedi- 
ately follow the first migratory wave that peopled the Hawaiian 
group. 

For thirteen or fourteen generations the first occupants of 
the Hawaiian Islands lived sequestered from the rest of the 
world, multiplying and spreading throughout the group. They 
erected temples to their gods, maintained their ancient religion, 
and yielded obedience to their chiefs. The traditions of the 
period are so meagre as to leave the impression that it was one 
of uninterrupted peace, little having been preserved beyond the 
genealogies of the governing chiefs. 

But late in the tenth or early in the beginning of the eleventh 
century the Hawaiians were aroused from their dream of more 
than four centuries by the arrival of a party of adventurers from 
the southern islands, probably from the Society group. It was 
under the leadership of Nanamaoa. He was a warlike chief, and 
succeeded in establishing his family in power on Hawaii, Maui 
and Oahu. But stronger leaders were soon to follow from the 
south. Among the first was the high-priest Paao, from Samoa. 
He arrived during the reign of Kapawa, the grandson of Nana- 
maoa, or immediately after his death. The people were in an 
unsettled condition politically, and Paao, grasping the situation, 
either sent or returned in person to Samoa for Pili, a distin- 
guished chief of that island. Arriving with a large following, 
Pili assumed the sovereignty of the island of Hawaii and found- 
ed a new dynasty. Paao became his high-priest, and somewhat 
disturbed the religious practices of the people by the introduc- 



INTROD UCTION. 2 1 

tion of new rites and two or three new gods. However, his re- 
Hgion did not seem to differ greatly from that of the native 
priests, and from him the last of the priesthood, seven hundred 
years after, claimed lineage and right of place. 

The intercourse thus established between the Hawaiian and 
southern groups by Nanamaoa, Paao and Pili continued for 
about one hundred and fifty years, or until the middle or close 
of the twelfth century. During that period several other warlike 
families from the south established themselves in the partial or 
complete sovereignty of Oahu, Maui and Kauai, and expedi- 
tions were frequent between the group and other distant islands 
of Polynesia. It was a season of unusual activity, and the le- 
gends of the time are filled with stories of love, conquest and 
perilous voyages to and from the southern islands. 

In that age, when distant voyages were frequent, the Polyne- 
sians were bold and intelligent navigators. In addition to large 
double canoes capable of Avithstanding the severest weather, 
they possessed capacious barges, with planks corded and calked 
upon strong frames. They were decked over and carried ample 
sail. Their navigators had some knowledge of the stars ; knew 
the prominent planets and gave them names ; were acquainted 
with the limits of the ecliptic and situation of the equator. 
With these helps, and keenly watchful of the winds and cur- 
rents, of ocean drifts and flights of birds, they seldom failed to 
reach their destination, however distant. 

Near the close of the twelfth century all communication be- 
tween the Hawaiian and southern groups suddenly ceased. Tra- 
dition offers no explanation of the cause, and conjecture can 
find no better reason for it than the possible disappearance at 
that time of a number of island landmarks which had thereto- 
fore served as guides to the mariner. The beginning of this 
period of isolation found the entire group, with the exception, 
perhaps, of Molokai and a portion of Oahu, in the possession of 
the southern chiefs or their descendants. 

It has been observed that the first discovery and occupation 
of the islands by Polynesians from the Society and Samoan 
groups occurred in the sixth century, and that more than four 
hundred years later a second migratory tide from the same and 
possibly other southern islands reached the coasts of Hawaii, 
continuing for more than a century and a half, and completely 



22 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

changing the political, and to some extent the social, condition 
of the people. Although nearly five centuries elapsed between 
the first and second migratory influxes from the south, during 
which the inhabitants of the group held no communication with 
the rest of the world, it is a curious fact that the Pili, Paumakua, 
and other chiefly families of the second influx traced back their 
lineage to the ancestors of the chiefs of the first migration, and 
made good their claim to the relationship by the recital of le- 
gends and genealogies common to both. 

At the close of the second migratory period, which conclud- 
ed their intercourse with the world beyond them for more than 
six hundred years, or from a.d. 1175 to 1778, the people of 
the group had very generally transferred their allegiance to 
the newly-arrived chiefs. The notable exceptions were the Ma- 
weke and Kamauaua families of Oahu and Molokai, both of the 
ancient Nanaula line. Although they were gradually crowded 
from their possessions by their more energetic invaders, the high 
descent of the prominent native chiefs was recognized, and by 
intermarriage their blood was allowed to mingle with the royal 
currents which have flowed down the centuries since they ceased 
to rule. 

A mere outline of the political history of the islands from the 
twelfth century to the nineteenth is all that will .be given here. 
The legends following will supply much that will be omitted to 
avoid repetition. 

Until the final conquest of the group by Kamehameha I. at 
the close of the last century, the five principal islands of the 
archipelago — Hawaii, Maui, Oahu, Kauai and Molokai — were 
each governed, as a rule, by one or more independent chiefs. 
The smaller islands of Lanai and Kahoolawe were usually sub- 
ject to Maui, while Niihau always shared the political fate of 
Kauai. 

On each island, however, were descendants of distinguished 
ancient chiefs and heroes, who were recognized as of superior or 
royal blood, and with them originated the supreme chiefs, kings, 
or mois of the several islands, whose lines continued in authority, 
with interruptions of insurrection and royal feuds, until the con- 
solidation of the group by Kamehameha. No one was recog- 
nized as a tabu chief unless his genealogical record showed him 
to be of noble blood, and intermarriage between the ruling fami- 




Princess Liliuokalani 



introduction: 23 

lies, as well as between the lesser chiefs of the several islands, in 
time united the entire aristocracy of the group by ties of blood, 
and gave to all of royal strain a common and distinguished an- 
cestry. The nobility and hereditary priesthood claimed to be 
of a stock different from that of the common people, and their 
superior stature and intelligence seemed to favor the assumption. 
To keep pure the blood of the chiefly classes, far back in the 
past a college of heraldry was established, before which all chiefs 
were required to recite their genealogies and make good their 
claims to noble descent. 

The legends of the group abound in stories of romantic and 
sanguinary internal conflicts, and political and predatory wars 
between the islands ; but down to the time of Kamehameha but 
a single attempt had been made to subjugate the entire archi- 
pelago. This bold scheme was entertained by a king of the 
island of Hawaii who reigned during the latter part of the thir- 
teenth century. He succeeded in overrunning Maui, Oahu and 
Molokai, but was defeated and taken prisoner on Kauai. 

Without further reference to the intervening years from the 
twelfth century to the eighteenth — a long period of wars, festi- 
vals, tournaments, and royal and priestly pageantry — we will now 
glance at the condition of the islands at the time of their dis- 
covery by Captain Cook, a little more than a century ago. It 
was estimated that the islands then contained a population of 
four hundred thousand souls. This estimate has been consid- 
ered large. But when it is noted that fifteen years later there 
were between thirty and forty thousand warriors under arms in 
the group at the same time, with large reserves ready for service, 
the conclusion is irresistible that the population could scarcely 
have been less. Kamehameha invaded Oahu with sixteen thou- 
sand warriors, principally drawn from the island of Hawaii. He 
was opposed by eight or ten thousand spears, while as many more 
awaited his arrival on Kauai. According to the figures of the 
Rev. Mr. Ellis, who travelled around the island of Hawaii in 
182 1 and numbered the dwellings and congregations addressed 
by him in the several coast districts through which he passed, the 
number of people on that island alone could not have been less 
than one hundred and fifteen thousand. 

At the time of the arrival of Captain Cook, Kalaniopuu, of 
the ancient line of Pili, was king of the large island of Hawaii, 



24 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 

and also maintained possession of a portion of the island of 
Maui. Kahekili, " the thunderer," as his name implied, was moi 
of Maui, and the principal wife of Kalaniopuu was his sister. 
Kahahana, who was also related to Kahekili, was the king of Oahu 
and claimed possession of Molokai and Lanai. Kamakahelei 
was the nominal queen of Kauai and Niihau, and her husband 
was a younger brother to Kahekili, while she was related to the 
royal family of Hawaii. Thus, it will be seen, the reigning fami- 
lies of the several islands of the group were all related to each 
other, as well by marriage as by blood. So had it been for many 
generations. But their wars with each other were none the less 
vindictive because of their kinship, or attended with less of bar- 
barity in their hours of triumph. 

At that time Kahekili was plotting for the downfall of Kaha- 
hana and the seizure of Oahu and Molokai, and the queen of 
Kauai was disposed to assist him in these enterprises. The oc- 
cupation of the Hana district of Maui by the kings of Hawaii 
had been the cause of many stubborn conflicts between the chi- 
valry of the two islands, and when Captain Cook first landed on 
Hawaii he found the king of that island absent on another war- 
like expedition to Maui, intent upon avenging his defeat of two 
years before, when his famous brigade of eight hundred nobles 
was hewn in pieces. 

Connected with the court of Kalaniopuu at that time was a 
silent and taciturn chief, who had thus far attracted but little 
attention as a military leader. He was a man of gigantic mould, 
and his courage and prowess in arms were undoubted ; yet he 
seldom smiled or engaged in the manly sports so attractive to 
others, and his friends were the few who discerned in him a 
slumbering greatness which subsequently gave him a name and 
fame second to no other in Hawaiian history. He was the re- 
puted and accepted son of Keoua, the half-brother of Kalanio- 
puu, although it was believed by many that his real father was 
Kahekili, moi of Maui. But, however this may have been, he 
was of royal blood, and was destined to become not only the 
king of Hawaii, l)ut the conqueror and sovereign of the group. 
This chief was Kamehameha. 

Such, in brief, was the political condition of the islands when 
Captain Cook arrived. He was an officer in the English navy, 
and, with the war-ships Resolution and Discovery, was on a voyage 



INTRODUCTION. 25 

in search of a northwest passage eastward from Behring's Straits. 
Leaving the Society group in December, 1777, on the i8th of the 
following month he sighted Oahu and Kauai. Landing on the 
latter island and Niihau, he was received as a god by the natives, 
and his ships were provided with everything they required. 
Without then visiting the other islands of the group, he left 
for the northwest coast of America on the 2d of February, 1778, 
and in November of that year returned to the islands, first sight- 
ing the shores of Molokai and Maui. Communicating with the 
wondering natives of the latter island, he sailed around the coasts 
of Hawaii, and on the 17th of January dropped his anchors in 
Kealakeakua Bay. He was hailed as a reincarnation of their god 
Lono by the people, and the priests conducted him to their tem- 
ples and accorded him divine honors. Returning from- his cam- 
paign in Maui, the king visited and treated him as a god, and his 
ships were bountifully supplied with pigs, fowls, vegetables and 
fruits. The ships left the bay on the 4th of February, but, meet- 
ing with a storm, returned on the 8th for repairs. Petty bicker- 
ings soon after occurred between the natives and white sailors, 
and on the 13th one of the ships' boats was stolen by a chief and 
broken up for its nails and other iron fastenings. Cook demand- 
ed its restoration, and, while endeavoring to take the king on 
board the Resolution as a prisoner, was set upon by the natives 
and slain. Fire was opened by the ships, and many ng-tives, in- 
cluding four or five chiefs, were killed. The body of Cook was 
borne off by the natives, but the most of the bones were subse- 
quently returned at the request of Captain King, and the vessels 
soon after left the island. 

If Captain Cook was not the first of European navigators to 
discover the Hawaiian Islands, he was at least the first to chart 
and make their existence known to the world. It has been pret- 
ty satisfactorily established that Juan Gaetano, the captain of a 
Spanish galleon sailing from the Mexican coast to the Spice 
Islands, discovered the group as early as 1555. But he did not 
make his discovery known at the time, and the existence of an 
old manuscript chart in the archives of the Spanish government 
is all that remains to attest his claim to it. 

Native traditions mention the landing of small parties of 
white men on two or three occasions during the latter part of 
the sixteenth century ; but if ' the faces and ships of other races 



26 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAII. 

we-re seen by the Hawaiians in the time of Gaetano, their de- 
scendants had certainly lost all knowledge of both two hundred 
or more years later, for Cook was welcomed as a supernatural 
being by the awe-stricken islanders, and his ships were described 
by them as floating islands. A simple iron nail was to them a 
priceless jewel, and every act and word betrayed an utter igno- 
rance of everything pertaining to the white races. 

Kalaniopuu, the king of Hawaii, died in I'jZi, and Kameha- 
meha, through the assistance of three or four prominent chiefs, 
succeeded, after a struggle of more than ten years, in securing to 
himself the supreme authority over that island. This done, en- 
couraged by the prophets, assisted by his chiefs, and sustained 
by an unwavering faith in his destiny, he conquered Maui, Oahu, 
Kauai and their dependencies, and in 1795 '^^.s recognized as 
the sole master of the group. 

Although of royal stock, the strain of Kamehameha from the 
old line of kings was less direct than that of his cousin, Kiwalao, 
from whom he wrested the Hawaiian sceptre ; but his military 
genius rallied around him the warlike chiefs who were dissatisfied 
with the division of lands by the son and successor of Kalaniopuu, 
and in the end his triumph was complete. To farther ennoble his 
succession he married the daughter of his royal cousin, and thus 
gave to his children an undoubted lineage of supreme dignity. 

The existence of the Hawaiian Islands became generally 
known to the world soon after the final departure of the Reso- 
lution and Discovery, but it was not until 1786 that vessels began 
to visit the group. The first to arrive after the death of Captain 
Cook were the English ships King George and Queen Charlotte, 
and the same year a French exploring squadron touched at 
Maui. In 1787 several trading vessels visited the group, and 
the natives began to barter provisions and sandal-wood for fire- 
arms and other weapons of metal. 

In 1792, and again in 1793, Captain Vancouver, of an Eng- 
lish exploring squadron, touched and remained for some time 
at the islands. He landed sheep, goats and horned cattle, and 
distributed a quantity of fruit and garden seeds. His memory 
is gratefully cherished by the natives, for his mission was one of 
peace and broad benevolence. Thenceforward trading-vessels 
in considerable numbers visited the group, and during the con- 
cluding wars of Kamehameha the rival chiefs had secured the 



INTROD UCTION. 2 7 

assistance of small parties of white men, and to some extent 
had learned the use of muskets and small cannon, readily pur- 
chased and paid for in sandal-wood, which was then quite abun- 
dant on most of the timbered mountains of the islands. The 
harbor of Honolulu was first discovered and entered by two 
American vessels in 1794, and it soon became a favorite resort 
for the war, trading and whaling vessels of all nations. 

In the midst of these new and trying conditions Kameha- 
meha managed the affairs of his kingdom with distinguished 
prudence and sagacity. He admonished his people to endure 
with patience the aggressions of the whites, and to retain, as far 
as possible, their simple habits. With his little empire united 
and peaceful, Kamehameha died on the 8th of May, 181 9, at 
the age of about eighty ; and his bones were so secretly disposed 
of that they have not yet been found. 

Liholiho, the elder of his sons by Keopuolani, the daughter 
of his cousin Kiwalao, succeeded his warlike father with the 
title of Kamehameha II. Some knowledge of the Christian 
religion had reached the natives through their white visitors, 
but the old chief died in the faith of his fathers. 

The death of Kamehameha was immediately followed by 
an event for which history affords no parallel. In October, 
1819 — six months before the first Christian missionaries arrived 
on the islands — Liholiho, under the inspiration of Kaahumanu, 
one of the widows of his father, suddenly, and in the presence 
of a large concourse of horrified natives, broke the most sacred 
of the tabus of his religion by partaking of food from vessels 
from which women were feasting, and the same day decreed the 
destruction of every temple and idol in the kingdom. He was 
sustained by the high-priest Hewahewa, who was the first to apply 
the torch ; and within a" few weeks idols, temples, altars, and a 
priesthood which had held prince and subject in awe for centuries 
were swept away, leaving the people absolutely without a religion. 

But all did not peacefully submit to this royal edict against 
their gods. In the twilight of that misty period looms up a 
grand defender of the faith of Keawe and Umi and the altars 
of the Hawaiian gods. This champion was Kekuaokalani, a 
nephew, perhaps a son, of the first Kamehameha, and a cousin, 
perhaps a half-brother, of Liholiho. In his veins coursed the 
royal blood of Hawaii, and his bearing was that of a king. He 



2 8 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

was above six and one-half feet in height, with limbs well pro- 
portioned and features strikingly handsome and commanding. 
He was of the priesthood, and, through the bestowal of some 
tabu or prerogative, claimed to be second in authority to Hewa- 
hewa, who traced his lineage back to Paao, the high-priest of 
Pili. His wife, Manono, was scarcely less distinguished for her 
courage, beauty and chiefly strain. 

The apostasy of Hewahewa left Kekuaokalani at the head 
of the priesthood — at least so he seems to have assumed— and 
the royal order to demolish the temples was answered by him 
with an appeal to the people to arm and join him in defence of 
their gods. He raised the standard of revolt on the island of 
Hawaii, and was soon at the head of a considerable army. A 
large force was sent against him, and every effort was made to 
induce him to lay down his arras. But he scorned all terms, 
refused all concessions. 

A battle was fought at Kuamoo, at first favorable to the 
defenders of the gods ; but the fire-arms of the whites in the 
service of the king turned the tide of war against them, and 
they were defeated and scattered. Kekuaokalani was killed 
on the field, and Manono, his brave and faithful wife, fighting 
by his side, fell dead upon the body of her husband with a 
musket-ball through her temples. A rude monument of stones 
still marks the spot where they fell ; and it is told in whispers 
that the kona, passing through the shrouding vines, attunes them 
to saddest tones of lamentation over the last defenders in arms 
of the Hawaiian gods. 

Four or five months before the death of Kekuaokalani, 
Kalaimoku, the prime minister of Liholiho, and his brother 
Boki, were baptized under the formula of the Roman Catholic 
Church by the chaplain of a French corvette on a passing visit 
to the islands. They scarcely knew the meaning of the cere- 
mony, and it is safe to say that, at the time of the destruction of 
their temples and the repudiation of their gods, the Hawaiian 
people knew little or nothing of any other religion. The aboli- 
tion of the tabu, which had made them slaves to their chiefs 
and priests, and held their fathers in bondage for centuries, was 
hailed with so great a joy by the native masses that they did not 
hesitate when called upon to consign the priesthood and their 
gods to the grave of the tabu. 



IN TR OD UC TION. 2 9 

On the 30th of March, 1820 — some months after this strange 
reUgious revolution — the first party of Christian missionaries 
arrived at the islands from Massachusetts. They were well 
received. They found a people without a religion, and their 
work was easy. Other missionary parties followed from time 
to time, and found the field alike profitable to the cause in which 
they labored and to themselves individually. They acquired 
substantial possessions in their new home, controlled the govern- 
ment for the fifty or more years following, and their children are 
to-day among the most prosperous residents of the group. This is 
not said with a view to undervalue the services of the early mis- 
sionaries to Hawaii, but to show that all missionary fields have 
not been financially unfruitful to zealous and provident workers. 

And now let it be remarked with emphasis that the value 
of missionary labors in the Hawaiian group should not be mea- 
sured by the small number of natives who to-day may be called 
Christians, but rather by the counsel and assistance of these 
thrifty religious teachers in securing and maintaining the inde- 
pendence of the islands, and by degrees establishing a mild and 
beneficent constitutional government, under which taxation is as 
light and life and property are as secure as in any other part 
of the civilized world. They were politicians as well as religious 
instructors, and practical examples of the value of Christian dis- 
cipline when prudently applied to the acquisition of the needful 
and inviting things of life, and the establishment of a civil 
system capable of protecting the possessor in his acquired rights. 

In 1824 Liholiho and his queen died while on a visit to 
England, and their remains. were sent back to the islands in 
an English man-of war. Kauikeaouli, a youth of ten years, and 
brother of the deceased king, was accepted as the rightful heir 
to the throne under the title of Kamehameha III., and Kaahu- 
manu, one of the wives of Kamehameha I., acted as regent and 
prime minister. 

In 1827, and ten years later, Roman Catholic missionaries 
arrived, and were sent away by order of the government ; but in 
1839 the priests of that denomination were finally landed under 
the guns of a French frigate and allowed to remain. Meantime 
churches, schools and printing-presses had been established, the 
Hawaiian had become a written language, and the laws and de- 
crees of the government were promulgated in printed form. 



30 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

In 1840 the first written constitution was given to the people, 
guaranteeing to them a representative government. In February, 
1843, Lord Paulet, of the English navy, took formal possession 
of the islands, but in the July following their sovereignty was 
restored through the action of Admiral Thomas. In November 
of the same year France and England mutually agreed to refrain 
from seizure or occupation of the islands, or any portion of them, 
and the United States, while declining to become a party to the 
agreement, promptly acknowledged the independence of the 
group. 

Kamehameha III. died in 1854 and was succeeded by Ka- 
mehameha IV. The latter reigned until 1863, when he died 
and was succeeded by Prince Lot, with the title of Kamehameha 
V. In 1864 Lot abrogated the constitution of 1840 and granted 
a new one. He reigned until 1872, and died without naming a 
successor, and the Legislative Assembly elected Lunalilo to the 
throne. He was of the Kamehameha family, and with his death, 
in 1873, the Kamehameha dynasty came to an end. He, too, 
failed to designate a successor, and as but two of the accepted 
descendants of the first Kamehameha remained — one a sister of 
Kamehameha V. and the other a female cousin of that sovereign 
— David Kalakaua was elected to the throne by the Legislative 
Assembly in 1874, receiving all but five votes of that body, 
which were cast for the queen-dowager Emma, widow of Kame- 
hameha IV. 

Provision having been made for the event by a previous Le- 
gislative Assembly, King Kalakaua, with his queen, Kapiolani, 
was formally crowned on the 12th of February, 1883, in the pre- 
sence of the representatives of many of the nations of the Old 
World and the New. Since the coronation the last of the Kame- 
hamehas has passed away, including the queen-dowager Emma, 
and King Kalakaua remains the most direct representative in the 
kingdom of the ancient sovereigns of Hawaii. He draws his 
strain from Liloa through the great I family of Hawaii, who 
joined their fortunes with the first Kamehameha in the conquest 
of the group. His queen, Kapiolani, is a granddaughter of the 
last independent sovereign of Kauai, and is thus allied in blood 
with the early rulers of the group. She is childless, and the 
Princess Liliuokalani, the elder of the two sisters of the king, 
has been named as his successor. She is the wife of His Excel- 




Princess Kauilani. 



introduction: 31 

lency John O. Dominis, an American by birth and present gov- 
■ernor of the islands of Oahu and Maui. The only direct heir 
in the families of the king and his two sisters is the Princess 
Kaiulani, daughter of the Princess Likelike,* wife of Mr. Cleg- 
horn, a merchant of Honolulu. 

Following is a list of the sovereigns of Hawaii, with the dates 
and durations of their several governments, from the eleventh to 
the nineteenth century. It embraces only the rulers of the 
island of Hawaii, who eventually became the masters of the 
group. Until the reign of Kalaniopuu, which began in 1754, 
the dates are merely approximate : 

Pilikaeae from A.D. 1095 to 1120 

Kukohau " 1120 to 1145 

Kaniuhi, " 1145 to 1 1 70 

Kanipahu. " iryotoiigs 

Kalapana (including the usurpation of Kamaiole), " 1195 to 1220 

Kahaimoelea, " 1220 to 1260 

Kalaunuiohua, " 1260 to 1300 

Kuaiwa, '• 1300101340 

Kahoukapu, " 1340101380 

Kauholanuimahu " 1380101415 

Kiha " 1415 to 1455 

Liloa, ...... " 1455 to 1485 

Hakau " 1485 to 1490 

Umi, " 1490 to 1525 

Kealiiokaloa, " 1525 to 1535 

Keawenui _'_' 1535 to 1565 

Kaikilani and Lonoikamakahiki, . . " 1565101595 

Keakealanikane " I595 to 1625 

Keakamahana, " 1625101655 

Keakealaniwahine, .... " 1655 to 1685 

Keawe and sister, ....". " 1685101720 

Alapanui, " 1720 to 1754 

Kalaniopuu, 1754101782 

Kamehamehal " 1782101819 

Kamehameha II.— Liholiho, ... " 1819 to 1824 

Kaahumanu regency, .... " 1824 to 1833 

Kamehameha III.— Kauikeaouli, . . " 1833 to 1854 

Kamehameha IV " 1854101863 

Kamehameha v.— Lot " 1863101872 

Lunalilo " 1872101873 

Kalakaua " 1874 to 

* The Princess Likelike died February 2, 1887. 



32 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

Having thus briefly sketched the outlines of the prominent 
political events of the islands, the ancient religion of the Ha- 
waiians will next be referred to ; and as the tabu was no less a. 
religious than a secular prerogative, it may properly be con- 
sidered in connection with the priesthood. A knowledge of the 
power, scope and sanctity of the tabu is essential to a proper un- 
derstanding of the relations existing in the past between the peo- 
ple and their political and religious rulers, and this great govern- 
ing force will now claim our attention. 

THE TABU. 

Strictly speaking, the ancient tabu, or kapu, was a prerogative 
adhering exclusively to political and ecclesiastical rank. It was 
a command either to do or not to do, and the meaning of it was,, 
" Obey or die." It was common to the Polynesian tribes, and 
was a protection to the lives, property and dignity of the priest- 
hood and nobility. 

The religious tabus were well understood by the people, as . 
were also the personal or perpetual tabus of the ruling families ^ 
but the incidental tabus were oppressive, irksome and dangerous. 
to the masses, as they were liable to be thoughtlessly violated, 
and death was the usual penalty. 

Everything pertaining to the priesthood and temples was 
sacred, or tabu, and pigs designed for 
sacrifice, and running at large with the 
temple mark upon them, could not be 
molested. It was a violation of per- 
petual tabu to cross the shadow of the 
king, to stand in his presence without 
^ „ r^ „ permission, or to approach him except 

The Puloulou, or Tabu Mark. ^ ; ri r 

upon the knees. This did not apply to 
the higher grades of chiefs, who themselves possessed tabu rights. 

Favorite paths, springs, streams and bathing-places were at 
intervals tabued to the exclusive use of the kings and temples, 
and squid, turtle, and two or three species of birds could be 
eaten only by the priests and tabu nobility. 

Yellow was the tabu color of royalty, and red of the priest- 
hood, and mantles of the feathers of the oo and 7namo could be 
worn only by kings and princes. Feather capes of mingled red 
and yellow distinguished the lesser nobility. 




INTRODUCTION. 33 

Women were tabued from eating plantains, bananas, and 
■cocoanuts ; also the flesh of swine and certain fish, among them 
the kiimu, tnoaiio, ulna, honu, ea, hahalua and naia ; and men 
and women were allowed under no circumstances to partake of 
food together. Hence, when Liholiho, in 1819, openly violated 
this fundamental tabu by eating with his queen, he defied the 
gods of his fathers and struck at the very foundation of the re- 
ligious faith of his people. 

The general tabus declared by the supreme chief or king were 
proclaimed by heralds, while the puloulou — a staff surmounted 
by a crown of white or black kapa — placed at the entrance of 
temples, royal residences and the mansions of tabu chiefs, or be- 
side springs, groves, paths, or bathing-places, was a standing no- 
tification against trespass. General tabus were declared either to 
propitiate the gods or in celebration of important events. They 
were either common or strict, and frequently embraced an entire 
district and continued from one to ten days. 

During the continuance of a common tabu the masses were 
merely required to abstain from their usual occupations and at- 
tend the services at the heiaus, or temples ; but during a strict 
tabu every fire and every light was extinguished, no canoe was 
shoved from the shore, no bathing was permitted, the pigs and 
fowls were muzzled or placed under calabashes that they might 
utter no noise, the people conversed in whispers, and the priests 
and their assistants were alone allowed to be seen without their 
places of abode. It was a season of deathly silence, and was 
thought to be especially grateful to the gods. 

Some of the royal tabus, centuries back in the past, were frivo- 
lous and despotic, such as regulating the wearing of beards and 
compelling all sails to be lowered on passing certain coast points ; 
but, however capricious or oppressive, the tabu was seldom vio- 
lated, and its maintenance was deemed a necessary protection 
to the governing classes. 

ANCIENT HAWAIIAN RELIGION. 

The ancient religion of the Hawaiians, of which the tabu 
formed an essential feature, was a theocracy of curious structure. 
It was a system of idolatrous forms and sacrifices engrafted without 
■consistency upon the Jewish story of the creation, the fall of man, 
the revolt of Lucifer, the Deluge, and the repopulation of the earth. 



34 



THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 



The legends of the Hawaiians were preserved with marvel- 
lous integrity. Their historians were the priests, who at inter- 
vals met in council and recited and compared their genealogical 
tneles, in order that nothing might be either changed or lost. 
How did the Hawaiian priesthood become possessed of the storv 
of the Hebrew genesis ? It was old to them when the Resolution 




Ancient Gods. 



and Discovery dropped their anchors in Kealakeakua Bay ; old 
to them when one or more chance parties of Spanish sailors in 
the sixteenth century may have looked in upon them for a mo- 
ment while on their way to the Spice Islands ; and it was proba- 
bly old to them when the Hawaiians found their present home 
in the sixth century, and when the Polynesians left the coast of 
Asia four hundred years earlier. 

One theory is that the story was acquired through Israelitish 
contact with the ancestors of the Polynesians while the latter 



INTRODUCTION. 35 

were drifting eastward from the land of their nativity. But the 
more reasonable assumption seems to be that the Hawaiian theo- 
gony, so strangely perpetuated, is an independent and perhaps 
original version of a series of creation legends common in the 
remote past to the Cushite, Semite and Aryan tribes, and was 
handed down quite as accurately as the Jewish version before it 
became fixed in written characters. In fact, in some respects 
the Hawaiian seems to be more complete than the Jewish ver- 
sion. 

From the beginning, according to Hawaiian story, a trinity of 
gods existed, who were the sole and all-pervading intelligences of 
chaos, or night — a condition represented by the Hawaiian word 
Po. These gods were : 

Kane, the originator ; 

Ku, the architect and builder ; and 

Lono, the executor and director of the elements. 

By the united will of Hikapoloa, or the trinity, light was 
brought into chaos. They next created the heavens, three in 
number, as their dwelling-places, and then the earth, sun, moon 
and stars. From their spittle they next created a host of angels 
to minister to their wants. 

Finally, man was created. His body was formed of red 
earth mingled with the spittle of Kane, and his head of whitish 
clay brought by Lono from the four quarters of the earth. The 
meaning of Adam is red, and it will be remarked that the Ha- 
waiian Adam was made of earth of that color. He was made in 
the image of Kane, who breathed into his nostrils, and he be- 
came alive. Afterwards, from one of his ribs, taken from his 
side while he slept, a woman was created. The man was called 
Kumu-honua, and the woman Ke-ola-ku-honua. 

The newly-created' pair were placed in a beautiful paradise 
called Paliuli. Three rivers of " the waters of life " ran through 
it, on the banks of which grew every inviting fruit, including the 
"/aiJ/ifi?^ bread-fruit tree" and "sacred apple-tree," with which 
are connected the fall and expulsion of the man and woman 
from their earthly paradise. The three rivers had their source 
in a beautiful lake, fed by " the living waters of Kane." The 
waters were filled with fish which fire could not destroy, and on 
being sprinkled with them the dead were restored to life. Le- 
gends relate instances in which these waters were procured. 



36 THE MOIS AND MYTHS OF HA WAII. 

through the favor of the gods, for the restoration to hfe of dis- 
tinguished mortals. 

As a specimen of the chants perpetuating these traditions and 
embellishing the plainer prose recitals, the following extract re- 
lating to the creation is given : 

" Kane of the great Night, 
Ku and Lono of the great Night, 
Hika-po-loa the king. 

The tabued Night that is set apart, 

The poisonous Night, 

The barren, desolate Night, 

The continual darkness of midnight, 

The Night, the reviler. 
O Kane, O Ku-ka-pao, 
And great Lono dwelling in the water, 
Brought forth are Heaven and Earth, 
Quickened, increased, moving, 
Raised up into Continents. 

Kane, Lord of Night, Lord the Father, 

Ku-ka-pao, in the hot heavens. 

Great Lono v^^ith the flashing eyes, 

Lightning-like has the Lord 

Established in truth, O Kane, master-worker ; 
The Lord creator of mankind : 
Start, work, bring forth the chief Kumu-honua, 
And Ola-ku-honua, the woman ; 
Dwelling together are they two. 
Dwelling in marriage (is she) with the husband, the brother." 

Among the angels created was Kanaloa, the Hawaiian Luci- 
fer, who incited a rebellion in heaven, with the results, strangely- 
enough, related in immortal song by Milton. When man was 
created, Ka?ialoa demanded his adoration. This was refused by 
Kane, as angels and man were alike the creations of Deity, 
whereupon Kanaloa ambitiously resolved to create a man of his 
own who would worship him. Kane allowed him to proceed 
with his seditious work. He made a man in the exact image of 
Kumu-honua, hwX. could not give it life. He breathed into its 
nostrils, but it would not rise ; he called to it, but it would not 
speak. This exasperated him, and he determined to destroy the 
man made by the gods. He therefore crept into Paliuli in the 
form of a moo, or lizard, and, through some deception not defi- 
nitely stated by tradition, Kumu-}ionua and his mate committed 



IN TROD UCTION. 3 7 

some offence for which they were driven from paradise by the 
"large, white bird of Kane." 

Kumu-honua had three sons, the second of whom was slain 
by the first. The name of the Hawaiian Cain is Laka. Ka Pili 
was the youngest son, and thirteen generations are named be- 
tween him and the Deluge, whereas the Hebrew version records 
but ten on the corresponding line of Seth. 

The Hawaiian Noah is called Nun. At the command of the 
gods he constructed an ark, and entered it with his wife and 
three sons, and a male and female of every breathing thing. 
The waters came and covered the earth. When they subsided 
the gods entered the ark, which was resting on a mountain over- 
looking a beautiful valley, and commanded Nuu to go forth with 
all of life that the ark contained. In gratitude for his deliver- 
ance Nuu offered a sacrifice to the moon, mistaking it for Katie. 
Descending on a rainbow, that deity reproved his thoughtless- 
ness, but left the bow as a perpetual token of his forgiveness. 

Continuing the genealogical record, ten generations are given 
between Nuu and Ku Pule, who " removed to a southern coun- 
try," taking with him as a wife his slave-woman Ahu. So was it 
with Abraham. Ku Pule established the practice of circumci- 
sion, and was the grandfather of Kini-lau-a-mano, whose twelve 
children became the founders of twelve tribes, from one of which 
— the Menehune — the Hawaiians are made to descend. 

A story similar to that of Joseph is also given, and mention is 
made of the subsequent return of the Menehune people to the 
land set apart for their occupation by Kane. Two brothers led 
them over deserts and through waters, and after many tribula- 
tions they reached their destination. 

This would seem to imply that the Menehune people were one 
of the tribes of Israel ; yet it is more probable that they had 
their origin in some one of the other twelveships into which the 
early Asiatic tribes were in many instances divided, and that the 
stories of Joseph and the Exodus became a part of their folk-lore 
through contact with other races. 

The genealogical line from the Hawaiian Adam to the grand- 
son of Ku Pule — that is, until the time of Jacob — has been 
brought down through three distinct traditional channels. The 
agreement of the several versions is remarkable, but the one 
brought to the islands by the high-priest Paao in the eleventh 



38 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIT. 

century, and retained by his ecclesiastical successors, is regarded 
as the most authentic. It was an heirloom of the priesthood, and 
was never communicated beyond the walls of the temples. 

With the settlement of the Menehune people in the land set 
apart for them by Kane, the Hawaiian legends cease to remind 
us of the later history of the Hebrews. There the similarity of 
historic incident abruptly ends, and, with an uncertain stride of 
twelve or thirteen generations, the chiefly line is brought down to 
Wakea and his wife Papa, mythical rulers of superhuman attri- 
butes, who must have existed before the Polynesians left the 
Asiatic coast, although in some legends they are connected not 
only with the first settlement of the Hawaiian archipelago, but 
with the creation of its islands. 

A few of the many legends relating to the creation and first 
settlement of the islands will be noted. One of them in sub- 
stance is that Hawaii-loa, a distinguished chief, and fourth in 
generation from Kini-lau-a-mano, sailed westward, and, guided by 
the Pleiades, discovered the Hawaiian group. He gave to the 
largest island his own name, and to the others the names of his 
children. 

Another tradition refers to Papa, the wife of Wakea, as a 
tabued descendant of Hawaii-loa, and superior in caste to her 
husband. Mutual jealousies embittered their lives and led ta 
strange events. Wakea found favor with the beautiful Hina^ 
and the island of Molokai was born of their embrace. In reta- 
liation Papa smiled upon the warrior Lua, and the fruit of their 
meeting was the fair island of Oahu. Hence the old names of 
Molokai-Hina and Oahu-a-Lua. 

Quite as fanciful a legend relates that an immense bird laid 
an egg on the waters of the ocean. It was hatched by the warm 
winds of the tropics, and the Hawaiian group came into being. 
Shortly after a man and woman, with a pair each of dogs, hogs 
and fowls, came in a canoe from Kahiki, landed on the eastern 
coast of Hawaii, and became the progenitors of the Hawaiian 
people. 

Fifty-six generations are mentioned from Wakea to the pre- 
sent ruling family. The legends of the twenty-nine generations 
covering the period between Wakea and Maweke — which brings, 
the record down to the eleventh century, when the second mi- 
gratory influx from the southern islands occurred — abound in 



INTRODUCTION. 



39 



wars, rebellions and popular movements, in which giants, demi- 
gods, and even the gods themselves took part ; and it was doubt- 
less during that period that the idolatrous forms and practices 
of the Hawaiian religion, as it existed a century ago, were en- 
grafted upon an older and simpler creed confined to the worship 
of the godhead. 

When the high-priest Paao arrived with Pili he introduced 
some new gods while recognizing the old, strengthened and en- 
larged the scope of the tabu, and established an hereditary priest- 
hood independent of, and second only in authority to, the supreme 
political head. Different grades of priests also came into exist- 
ence, such as seers, prophets, astrologers and kahunas of various 
function, including the power of healing and destroying. In 
fact, the priesthood embraced ten distinct grades or colleges^ 
each possessing and exercising powers peculiar to it, and the 
mastery of all of them was one of the qualifications of the high- 
priesthood.- The tutelar deity of the entire body was Uli. 

The form of the heiau, or temple, was changed by Paao and 
his successors, and the masses mingled less freely in the cere- 
monies of sacrifice and other forms of worship. The high-priest- 
hood became more mysterious and exclusive, and assumed pre- 
rogatives above the reach of royalty. The old Hawaiian trinity 
— Kane, Ku and Lono — remained the supreme gods of the pan- 
theon, but Kanaloa, the spirit of evil, was accorded beneficent 
attributes and exalted among them. 

The regions of Po, or death, were presided over by Milu, a 
wicked king who once ruled on earth, while the spirits of favorite 
chiefs were conveyed by the divine messenger Kuahairo to the 
presence of Kaono-hio-kala, whose beatific abode was somewhere 
in the lieavens. Another belief was that the ruler of Po was 
Manna, and that Milu did not follow Akea, the first king of Ha- 
waii, to that place, but dwelt in a region far westward and be- 
neath the sea. Although significant of darkness, Po was not 
without light. Like Tartarus, it could be visited by favored 
mortals, and the dead were sometimes brought back from it to 
earth. 

Pele, the dreadful goddess of the volcanoes, with her malig- 
nant relatives, was added to the Hawaiian deities during the sec- 
ond influx from the south, and temples were erected to her wor- 
ship all over the volcanic districts of Hawaii. At that period 



40 



THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 



were also introduced Laamaomao, the god of the winds, the poi- 
son goddesses Kalaipahoa and Kapo, and many other deities. 

But the worship of the Hawaiians was not confined to Kane, 
Ku, Lono and Fele. Heiaus were erected to the war-gods of 
the kings, and great sacrifices were frequently- 
made to them, generally of human beings, pre- 
ceding, during, and following campaigns and 
battles. Humbler temples were also maintained 
to fish, shark, lizard and other gods, where sac- 
rifices of fish and fruits were offered. 

To the superstitious masses the land abound- 
ed in gnomes and fairies, and the waters in 
nymphs and monsters, whose caprices are themes 
of a bountiful store of folk-lore. With almost 
every stream, gorge and headland is connected 
some supernatural story, and the bards and musi- 
cians of old earned an easy support by keeping 
alive these legends of the people. To some 
supernatural powers were given, and malignant 
and beneficent spirits assumed human forms and 
flitted among the palms in the guise of birds. 

The people made their own household gods, 
and destroyed them when they failed to contri- 
bute to their success. For example, at Ninole, 
on the southeast coast of Hawaii, is a small 
beach called Kaloa, the stones of which, it was 
thought, propagated by contact with each other. 
From the large stones the people made gods 
to preside over their games. When a stone 
was selected for a god it was taken to the heiau, where certain 
ceremonies were performed over it. It was then dressed and 
taken to witness some game or pastime. If the owner was suc- 
cessful it was accepted as a god ; if unsuccessful more than once 
or twice, it was thrown away or wrought into an axe or adze. 
Sometimes a stone of each sex was selected, wrapped in kapa, 
■and laid away. In time a small pebble was found with them. 
It increased in size, and was finally taken to the heiau and for- 
mally made into a god. Such is the story that is still told. 

The people believed that the spirits of the departed continued 
to hover around their earthly homes, and the shades of their an- 



Ku - Kaili - MoKU, 
THE War-God of 
Kamehameha I. 



INTRODUCTION. 4 1 

cestors were appealed to in prayer. The owl and a bird called 
the alae were regarded as gods, and scores of other deities, con- 
trolling the elements or presiding over the several industries and. 
amusements of the masses, were recognized and placated with 
sacrifices when in unfavorable moods. They had a god of the 
winds, of the husbandman, the warrior, the canoe-maker, the 
hula dancer, the distiller, the orator, the doctor and the sorcer- 
er, and many gods of the sailor and the fisherman. 

The services of the high-priest did not extend to these popu- 
lar deities on any of the islands of the group. The heiaus over 
which he presided were dedicated either to the higher gods of 
the pantheon or to the war-god of the king or supreme chief. 
He was next to the king in authority, and always of distinguished 
blood. Surrounded by seers, prophets and assistants, and claim- 
ing to hold direct intercourse with the gods, he was consulted on 
all matters of state consequence, and the auguries of the temple 
were always accepted with respect and confidence. The high- 
priest sometimes had charge of the war-god of the king, and in 
such cases went with it to the field of battle. 

Hua, one of the ancient kings of Maui, defied the priesthood 
and slew his high-priest. As a warning to ruling chiefs, the story 
of the consequences of Hua's madness has come down with great 
conciseness through the chroniclers of the priesthood. Hua's 
kingdom became a desolation. Wherever he traveled all vege- 
tation perished, and he finally died of famine on Hawaii, and his 
bones were left to whiten in the sun. 

There were several classes of priests, or kahunas, beside those 
who were connected with the temples. They were seers, doctors 
and dealers in enchantment, and subsisted by preying upon the 
people through their superstitions. All physical illness was at- 
tributed either to the anger of the gods, witchcraft, or the prayers 
of a malignant kahuna. The afflicted person usually sent for a 
kahuna, whose first business was to discover the cause of the mal- 
ady through incantation. This ascertained, an effort was made 
to counteract the spells or prayers which were wearing away the 
life of the patient, and sometimes with so great success that 
the affliction was transferred to the party whose malice had in- 
voked it. 

The belief that one person might be prayed to death by an- 
other was universal with the ancient Hawaiians, and not a few 



42 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

of the race would turn pale to-day if told that one of priestly 
strain was earnestly praying for his death. In praying a person 
to death it was essential that the kahuna should possess some- 
thing closely connected with the person of the victim — a lock of 
his hair, a tooth, a nail-paring, or a small quantity of his spittle, 
for example ; hence the office of spittoon-bearer to the ancient 
kings was entrusted only to chiefs of some rank, who might be 
expected to guard with care the royal expectoration. 

The belief was general that the spirits of the dead might be 
seen and conversed with by the kilos, or sorcerers, and the spirits 
of the living, it was claimed, were sometimes invoked from their 
slumbering tabernacles by priests of exceptional sanctity. The 
spirit of the dead was called unihipili, while the disembodied and 
visible spirit of a living person was known as kahoaka. 

Of all the deities Pele was held in greatest dread on the island 
of Hawaii, where volcanic irruptions were frequent. With her 
five brothers and eight sisters — all representing different elemen- 
tal forces — she dwelt in state in the fiery abysses of the volca- 
noes, moving from one to another at her pleasure, and visiting 
with inundations of lava such districts as neglected to cast into 
the craters proper offerings of meats and fruits, or angered her 
in other respects. One of her forms was that of a beautiful wo- 
man, in which she sometimes sought human society, and nume- 
rous legends of her affairs of love have been preserved. She 
was regarded as the special friend of Kamehameha I., and the 
suffocation of a portion of the army of Keoua, near the crater 
of Kilauea, in 1791, was credited directly to her. 

The last public recognition of the powers of Pele occurred 
as late as 1882 on the island of Hawaii. The village of Hilo 
was threatened. A broad stream of lava from Mauna Loa, after 
a devastating journey of twenty-five miles or more, reached a 
point in its downward course within a mile or two of the bay of 
Hilo. Its movement was slow, like that of all lava-streams some 
distance from their source, but its steadily approaching line of 
fire rendered it almost certain that the village, and perhaps the 
harbor, of Hilo would be destroyed within a very few days. 
Trenches were digged, walls were raised, and prayers were of- 
fered, but all to no purpose. Downward moved the awful ava- 
lanche of fire. 

Ruth, a surviving sister of the fourth and fifth Kamehamehas, 



INTRODUCTION. 43 

was then living in Honolulu. She was a proud, stern old chief- 
ess, who thought too little of the whites to attempt to acquire 
their language. The danger threatening Hilo was reported to 
her. " I will save the fish-ponds of Hilo," said the old chiefess. 
'' Pele will not refuse to listen to the prayer of a Kamehameha." 
She chartered a steamer, left Honolulu for Hilo with a large 
number of attendants, and the next day stood facing the still 
moving flow of lava. Ascending an elevation immediately back 
of the village, she caused to be erected there a rude altar, before 
which she made her supplications to Pele, with offerings fed to 
the front of the advancing lava. This done, she descended the 
hill with confidence and returned to Honolulu. 

The stream of fire ceased to move, and to-day its glistening 
front stands like a wall around Hilo. "A remarkable coinci- 
dence," explained the whites. " The work of Pele" whispered 
the natives, although the last of the temples of that goddess had 
been destroyed sixty years before. Without discussing the cause 
— a natural one beyond a doubt — it may be remarked that the 
result has been something of a renewal with the natives of faith 
in the discarded gods of their fathers. 

All of the minor -gods of the Hawaiians seem to have been 
independent and self-controlling. It is not claimed that they 
derived their powers from, were directed 
by, or were responsible to the supreme 
godhead. Hence the mythology of the 
Polynesians, strong though it be in indivi- 
dual powers and personations of the forces 
and achievements of nature, presents itself 
to us in a fragmentary form, like an in- 
congruous patchwork of two or more half- 
developed or half-forgotten religious sys- 
tems. 

One of the most noted of the indepen- 
dent deities of the group was Kalaipahoa, 

^, ■ jj r A/r 1 1 ■ p Kalaipahoa, Poison War- 

the poison-goddess of Molokai. ^ Some cen- ^^^^^^^ ^^ Molokai. 
turies back she came to the islands, with 

two or three of her sisters, from an unknown land, and left her 
mark in many localities. She entered a grove of trees on the 
island of Molokai, and left in them a poison so intense that birds 
fell dead in jiying over their branches. The king of the island 




44 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

was advised by his high-priest to have a god hewn from one of 
the poisoned trees. Hundreds of his subjects perished in the 
undertaking, but the image was finally finished and presented to 
the king, wrapped in many folds of kapa. It came down the 
generations an object of fear, and was finally seized by the 
first Kamehameha, and at -his death divided among his principal 
chiefs. 

Kuula was the principal god of the fishermen on all the isl- 
ands of the group. Rude temples were erected to him on the 
shores of favorite fishing-grounds, and the first fish of every 
catch was his due. His wife was Hina, and she was appealed 
to when her husband withheld his favors. Laeapua and Kanea- 
pua were gods worshipped by the fishermen of Lanai, and other 
fish-gods were elsewhere recognized. 

There were a number of shark and lizard gods. They 
were powerful and malignant, and greatly feared by the classes, 
who frequented the sea. Heiaus were erected to them on pro- 
montories overlooking the ocean, and the offerings to them of 
fish and fruits were always liberal. They assumed the forms 
of gigantic sharks and lizards, and not unfrequently lashed the 
waters into fury and destroyed canoes. Moaalii was the great 
shark-god of Molokai and Oahu. Apukohai and Uhujnakaikai 
were the evil gods infesting the waters of Kauai. Lonoakihi 
was the eel-god of all the islands, and Ukanipo was the shark-god 
of Hawaii. 

Among the celebrated war-gods of the kings of the group 
was that of Kamehameha I. It was called Kaili, or Ku-kaili- 
moku, and accompanied the great chief in all of his important 
battles. It had been the war-god of the Hawaiian kings for 
many generations, and was given in charge of Kamehameha 
by his royal uncle, Kalauiopuu. It was a small wooden 
image, roughly carved, and adorned with a head-dress of yel- 
low feathers. It is said that at times, in the heat of battle, it 
uttered cries which were heard above the clash of arms. It is 
not known what became of the image after the death of Ka- 
mehameha. 

The public heiaus, or temples, of the Hawaiians were usually 
walled enclosures of from one to five acres, and generally irre- 
gular in form. The walls were frequently ten feet in thickness 
and twenty feet in height, and the material used, was unhewn 



INTRODUCTION. 45 

stone, without mortar or cement. They narrowed sHghtly from 
the base upward, and were sometimes capped with hewn slabs 
of coral or other rock not too firm in texture to be worked with 
tools of stone. 

Within this enclosure was an inner stone or wooden temple 
of small dimensions, called the luakina, or house of sacrifice, and 
in front of the entrance to it stood the lele, or altar, consisting of 
a raised platform of stone. The inner temple was sacred to the 
priests. Within it stood the anu, a small wicker enclosure, from 
which issued the oracles of the kaulas, or prophets, and around 
the walls were ranged charms and gods of especial sanctity. Be- 
side the entrance to this sacred apartment were images of the 
principal gods, and the outer and inner walls were surmounted 
by lines of stone and wooden idols. 

The enclosure contained other buildings for the accommo- 
dation of the high-priest and his assistants ; also a house for 
the governing chief or king, some distance removed from the 
domiciles of the priest. It was used temporarily by him when 
on a visit of consultation to the temple, or as a place of refuge 
in a time of danger. On each side of the entrance to the outer 
enclosure was a tabu staff, or elevated cross, and near it was 
a small walled structure in which were slain the victims for the 
altar. 

When an augury was required by the king he frequently 
visited the hetau in person and propounded his questions to the 
kaulas. If the answers from the anu were vague and unsatis- 
factory, other methods of divination were resorted to, such as 
the opening of pigs and fowls, the shapes of the clouds, the 
flights of birds, etc. After prayers by the priest the animals 
were killed, and auguries were gathered from the manner in 
which they expired, the appearance of the intestines — which were 
supposed to be the seat of thought — and other signs. Sometimes 
the spleens of swine were removed, if auguries of war were re- 
quired, and held above the heads of the priests while prayers 
were offered. 

Before engaging in war or any other important enterprise 
attended by doubt or danger, human and other sacrifices were 
made, of which there were fifteen different kinds, and the first 
prisoners taken in battle were reserved for the altar. The priests 
named the number of men required for sacrifice, and the king 



46 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIT. 

provided them, sometimes from prisoners and malefactors, and 
sometimes from promiscuous drafts along the highways. The 
victims were slain with clubs without the temple walls, and their 
bodies, with other offerings, were laid upon the altar to decay. 
When the king or other high chief made a special offering of an 
enemy, the left eye of the victim, after the body had been brought 
to the altar, was removed and handed to him by the officiating 
priest. After making a semblance of eating it the chief tossed 
it upon the altar. 

During the construction of heiaus human sacrifices were usu- 
ally offered as the work progressed, and when completed they 
were dedicated with great pomp and solemnity, and the altars 
were sometimes heaped with human bodies. In dedicating ordi- 
nary temples the kaiopokeo prayer was employed ; but in conse- 
crating heiaus of the first class the kuawili invocation was re- 
cited, a prayer continuing from sunrise to sunset. Oil and holy 
water were sprinkled upon the altars and sacred vessels, and the 
services were under the direction of the high-priest, and gene- 
rally in the presence of the governing chief. 

The ordinary services in the temples consisted of offerings of 
fruits and meats, and of chants, prayers and responses, in which 
the people sometimes joined. Women did not participate in the 
ceremonies of the temples, but the exclusion found ample com- 
pensation in their exemption from sacrifice when human bodies 
were required. 

Temples of refuge, called pihonuas, were maintained on Ha- 
waii, and possibly on Lanai and Oahu in the remote past ; but 
concerning the latter there is some doubt. One of t\ie puhonuas 
on Hawaii was at Honaunau, near the sacred burial-place of 
Hale-o-Keawe, and the other at Waipio, connected with the great 
heiau of Paa-kalani. Their gates were always open, and priests 
guarded their entrances. Any one who entered their enclosures 
for protection, whether chief or slave, whether escaping criminal 
or warrior in retreat, was safe from molestation, even though the 
king pursued. These places of refuge, with the right of circum- 
cision, which existed until after the death of the first Kamehame- 
ha, suggest a Polynesian contact with the descendants of Abra- 
ham far back in the past, if not a kinship with one of the scat- 
tered tribes of Israel. 

In further evidence of the wanderings of the early Polyne- 



INTRODUCTION. 47 

sians in western and southern Asia, and of their intercourse 
with the continental races, it may be mentioned that a disposi- 
tion toward phallic worship, attested by tradition and existing 
symbols, followed them far out into the Pacific ; and that con- 
nected with their story of the creation, so closely resembling the 
Hebrew version, is the Buddhist claim of previous creations 
which either ran their course or were destroyed by an offended 
godhead. Nor is Hawaiian tradition content with the mere 
advancement of the theory of successive creations. It makes 
specific reference to a creation next preceding that of their 
Ku-niu-honua, or Adam, and gives the names of the man and 
woman created and destroyed. They were Wela-ahi-lani and 
Oive. 

It has been mentioned that the birds pueo and alae were 
sacred and sometimes worshipped. Among the sacred fish were 
the aku and opelu. How they became so is told in a legend re- 
lating to the high-priest Paao, who migrated to the islands in the 
eleventh century and induced Pili to follow him. Before visit- 
ing Hawaii, Paao lived near his brother, probably on the island 
of Samoa. Both were priests and well skilled in sorcery and 
divination. The name of the brother was Lonopele. Both were 
affluent and greatly respected. Lonopele's lands were near the 
sea and produced the choicest varieties of fruits. One season, 
when the fruits were ripening, Lonopele discovered that some 
one was surreptitiously gathering them in the night-time, and 
accused one of the sons of Paao of stealing them. Indignant 
at the charge, and discerning no better way of disproving it, 
Paao killed and opened his son, and showed his brother that 
there was no fruit in the stomach of the boy. 

Grieved at the death of his son, and holding his brother 
accountable for it, Paao concluded to emigrate to some other 
land, and built strong canoes for that purpose. About the time 
they were completed a son of Lonopele chanced to be in the 
neighborhood, and Paao, remembering the death of his own son, 
ordered the boy to be killed. He was missed, and search was 
made for him, and his body was finally found near Paao's canoes. 
Lonopele charged his brother with the murder. Paao did not 
deny it, and Lonopele ordered him to leave the island. To 
avoid further trouble Paao set sail at once with a party consist- 
ing of thirty-eight persons. One tradition says Pili was of the 



48 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

party ; but he must have left Samoa some years later, as Paao 
sent or went for him after reaching Hawaii. 

As the canoes were moving from the shore several prophets, 
standing on the cliffs above, expressed a desire to join the party. 
"Very well," was the answer of Paao ; "if you are prophets, as 
you say, leap from the cliffs and I will take you aboard." Seve- 
ral leaped into the sea and were dashed against the rocks and 
drowned. Finally Makuakaumana, a prophet of genuine inspi- 
ration, who was to have accompanied the expedition, reached 
the shore and discovered the canoes of Paao far out on the 
ocean. Raising his voice, he hailed Paao and asked that a canoe 
might be sent back for him. " Not so," returned the priest in a 
loud voice, which the favoring winds bore to the belated prophet. 
" To return would be an omen of evil. There is room for you,^ 
but if you would go with us you must fly to our canoes." And,, 
flying, the prophet reached the canoes in safety. 

Observing the canoes of Paao as they were disappearing in 
the distance, Lonopele sent a violent storm to destroy them ; but 
the strong fish Akii assisted in propelling the canoes against the 
storm, and the mighty fish Opelu swam around them and broke 
the waves with his body. The malignant brother then sent the 
great bird Kihahakaiwaitiapali to vomit over the canoes and sink 
them ; but they were hastily covered with mats, and thus escaped 
destruction. After a long voyage Paao landed in Puna, on the 
coast of Hawaii. Thenceforth the akii and (??J^//^ were held sa- 
cred by Paao and his descendants. 

Following is a list of the supreme and principal elemental, 
industrial and tutelar deities of the Hawaiian group : 

^ "§ Kane, the organizer. 

^ :| ^ Ku, the architect and builder. 
(§ \^Lono, the executor. 

Kanaka, the Lucifer, or fallen angel. 

<. [ Akea, the first Hawaiian king, who, afterlife, founded the island-king- 

'^ dom of Kapapahaunaunioku, in the realms of Po, or death. 

Milu, the successor of Akea, or who, according to another belief, ac- 
companied Akea to Po, and became the perpetual ruler of a king- 
dom on its western confines. 

.8 ^. I Manua, referred to in some legends as the supreme sovereign of Po. 

j; ^ With him abide the spirits of distinguished chiefs and priests, whc> 

■« I wander among beautiful streams and groves of kou trees, and sub- 

'^ [ sist upon lizards and butterflies. 



I 




-^, 



>. 



\ 



General Dominis, Consort of the Heir-Apparent. 



^ 



INTRODUCTION. 49 

f Kaonohiokala (the eyeball of the sun), a celestial god, with an abode 

somewhere in the heavens, and to whose presence the departed 

spirits of chiefs were conducted. 
Kuahaho, the messenger who conducted the souls of distinguished 

chiefs to Kaonohio ':ala. 
Olopiie, a god of Maui, who bore the spirits of noted chiefs to the 

celestial paradise. Kamehameha sought to secure possession of 

a very sacred image of this god, inherited by Kahekili, moi of 

Maui. 
Pele, the ruling goddess of the volcanoes, with her sisters, 
Hiiaka-wawahi-lani, the heaven-rending cloud-holder ; 
Makole-natuahi-waa, the fire-eyed canoe-breaker ; 
Hiiaka-noho-lani, the heaven-dwelling cloud- holder ; 
Hiiaka-kaalawa-maka, the quick-glancing cloud-holder ; 
Hiiaka- hoi-ke-poli-a-pele , the cloud-holder kissing the bosom of Pele ; 
Hiiaka-ka-pu-enaena, the red-hot mountain lifting clouds ; 
Hiiaka-kaleiia, the wreath encircled cloud-holder ; 
Hiiaka-opio, the young cloud-holder ; and their brothers, 
Kamo-koalii, or King Moho, the king of vapor or steam; 
Kapohoikahiola, god of explosions ; 
Keuakepo, god of the night-rain, or rain of fire ; 
Kane-kahili, the husband of thunder, or thundering god; 
Keoahi-kamakaiia, the fire-thrusting child of war. 
[The last two were hunchbacks.] 
Akuapaao, the war-god of Paao, taken from the temple of Manini by 

Umi. 
Ku-kaili-mokUythQ war-god of Kamehameha I., bequeathed to him by Ka- 
laniopuu. 
f Laamaomao, god of the winds, the Hawaiian .iEolus, whose home was 

on Molokai. 
Hinakuluiau, a goddess of the rain. 
Hinakealii and 

Hookuipaele, sisters of Hinakuluiau. 
Mooaleo, a powerful gnome of Lanai, conquered by Kaululaau, a prince 

of Maui. 
ICttula, a god of the fishermen. 
Hina, wife of Kuula. 
Laeapua and 

Kaneapua, gods of the fishermen of Lanai. 
Hinahele and her daughter 

Aiaiakuula, goddesses of the fishermen of Hawaii. 
Ukanipo, the great shark-god of Hawaii. 
Moaalii, the principal shark-god of Molokai and Oahu. 
lonoakiki, the great eel-god of all the group. 
Apukohai and 
. Uhumakaikai, evil shark or fish-gods of Kriuni. 



"^ 



50 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 

Akua-ula, the god of inspiration. 
^ Haulili, a god of speech, special to Kauai. 

Koleamoku, the deified chief who first learned the use of herbs and the 
art of healing from the gods. He was a patron of the kahunas. 

Olonopuha and 

Makanuiailone, deified disciples of Koleamoku. 

Kaanahua, the second son of the high-priest Luahoomoe, and 

Kukaoo, gods of the husbandman. 

Lakakane, god of the hula and similar sports. 

Mokualii, god of the canoe-makers. 

Hai, god of kapa making. 
^ Ulaulakeahi, god of distillation. 
Kalaipahoa, a goddess who entered and poisoned trees. 
Kapa and 

Pua, sisters of Kalaipahoa, with like functions. 
Kama, a powerful tutelar god of all the islands. 
Laaitli, the god who made inviolable laws. 
Kuahana, the god who killed men wantonly. 
Leleioio, the god who inflicted bodily pain. 
Lelehookaahaa, wife of Leleioio. 
Lie, a goddess of the mountains, who braided leis. 
Maikahulipu, the god who assisted in righting upset canoes. 
Pohakaa, a god living in precipitous places, and who rolled down stones, to 

the fright and injury of passers. 
Keoloewa, a god worshipped in the heiaus of Maui. 
Kiha, a goddess of Maui, held in great reverence. 
Uli, the god of the sorcerers. 
Pekuku, a powerful god of Hawaii. 
Lonoikeaualii, a god worshipped in the heiaus of Oahu. 
K'auakahi, a god of Maui and Molokai. 
Hiaka, a mountain god of Kauai. 
Kapo and 

Kapua, and several others, messengers of the gods. 
Ouli, the god appealed to by the kahu7tas in praying people to death. 
Maliu, any deified deceased chief. 
Akua noho, gods possessing the spirits of departed mortals, of which there 

were many. 
Kiha-wahitie and 

Kalo, noted deities of the class of akua-noho. 
Mahulii, a name common to three gods in the temples of Lone. 
Manu, the names of two gods at the outer gates of heiaus dedicated to Lono. 
Puea, the god worshipped in the darkness. 
Kaluanuunohonionio, one of the principal gods of the luakina, or sacrificial 

house of the temple. 
Kanenuiakea, a general name for a class of thirteen gods connected with the 
larger heiaus. 



INTRODUCTION. 5 1 



ANCIENT HAWAIIAN GOVERNMENT. 

Previous to the eleventh century the several habitable islands 
of the Hawaiian group were governed by one or more indepen- 
dent chiefs, as already stated. After the migratory influx of that 
period, however, and the settlement on the islands of a number 
of warlike southern chiefs and their followers, the independent 
chiefs began to unite for mutual protection. This involved the 
necessity of a supreme head, which was usually found in the 
chief conceded to be the most powerful ; and thus alii-nuis, tnois 
and kings sprang into existence. So far as tradition extends, 
however, certain lines, such as the Maweke, Pili and Paumakua 
families, were always considered to be of supreme blood. They 
came to the islands as chiefs of distinguished lineage, and so 
remained. 

Gradually the powers of the mots and ruling chiefs were en- 
larged, until at length they claimed almost everything. Then 
the chiefs held their possessions in fief to the }}ioi, and forfeited 
them by rebellion. In time the king became absolute master of 
the most of the soil over which he ruled, and assumed tabu 
rights which rendered his person sacred and his prerogatives 
more secure. All he acquired by conquest was his, and by par- 
titioning the lands among his titled friends he secured the sup- 
port necessary to his maintenance in power. Certain lands were 
inalienable both in chiefly families and the priesthood ; they were 
made so by early sovereign decrees, which continued to be re- 
spected ; but with each succeeding king important land changes 
usually occurred. 

Although the king maintained fish-ponds and cultivated lands 
of his own, he was largely supported by his subject chiefs. They 
were expected to contribute to him whatever was demanded 
either of food, raiment, houses, canoes, weapons or labor, and 
in turn they took such portions of the products of their tenants 
as their necessities required. The /// was the smallest political 
division ; next above it was the ahapuaa, which paid a nominal 
or special tax of one hog monthly to the king ; next the okana, 
embracing several ahapuaas ; and finally the moku, or district, or 
island. 

The laboring classes possessed no realty of their own, nor 
could they anywhere escape the claim or jurisdiction of a chief 



52 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

or landlord. They owed military and other personal service to 
their respective chiefs, and the chiefs owed theirs to the king. If 
required, all were expected to respond to a call to the field, fully 
armed and prepared for battle. 

Caste rules of dress, ornamentation and social forms were 
rigidly enforced. The entire people were divided into four gene- 
ral classes : first, the alii, or chiefly families, of various grades 
and prerogatives ; second, the kahunas, embracing priests, pro- 
phets, doctors, diviners and astrologers ; third, the kanaka-wale^ 
or free private citizens ; and, fourth, the kauwa-maoli, or slaves,, 
either captured in war or born of slave parents. 

The laws were few and simple, and the most of them referred 
to the rights and prerogatives of the king, priesthood and no- 
bility. Property disputes of the masses were settled by their 
chiefs, and other grievances were in most instances left to pri- 
vate redress, which frequently and very naturally resulted in pro- 
longed and fatal family feuds, in the end requiring chiefly and 
sometimes royal intervention. 

This, in brief and very general terms, was the prevailing 
character of the government and land tenure throughout the 
several islands of the group until after the death of Kameha- 
meha I. in 1819, and the relinquishment by the crown of its. 
ancient and sovereign rights in the soil. 

The leading chiefs and high-priesthood claimed a lineage 
distinct from that of the masses, and traced their ancestry back 
to Kumuhonua, the Polynesian Adam. The iku-pau, a sacred 
class of the supreme priesthood, assumed to be the direct de- 
scendants from the godhead, while the iku-nuu were a collateral 
branch of the sacred and royal strain, and possessed only tem- 
poral powers. It was thus that one of the families of the Ha- 
waiian priesthood, in charge of the verbal genealogical records,, 
exalted itself in sanctity above the political rulers. 

Proud of their lineage, to guard against imposture and keep 
their blood uncorrupted, the chiefs allowed their claims to fam- 
ily distinction to be passed upon by a college of heraldry, es- 
tablished by an early moi of Maui. Reciting their genealogies; 
before the college, composed of aliis of accepted rank, and re- 
ceiving the recognition of the council, chiefs were then regarded 
as members of the grade of aha-alii, or chiefs of admitted and 
irrevocable rank. 




i '' '' 



INTRODUCTION. 53 

The chiefs inherited their titles and tabu privileges quite as. 
frequently through the rank of one parent as of the other. As 
Hawaiian women of distinction usually had more than one hus- 
band, and the chiefs were seldom content with a single wife, the 
difficulty of determining the rights and ranks of their children 
was by no means easy ; but the averment of the mother was 
generally accepted as conclusive and sufficient evidence in that 
regard. 

For political purposes marriage alliances were common be- 
tween the royal and chiefly families of the several islands, and 
thus in time the superior nobility of the entire group became 
connected by ties of blood. The political or principal wife of a. 
king or distinguished chief was usually of a rank equal to that 
of her husband, and their marriage was proclaimed by heralds 
and celebrated with befitting ceremonies. Other wives were 
taken by simple agreement, and without ceremony or public an- 
nouncement. Very much in the same manner the masses entered 
into their marriage unions. With the latter, however, polygamy 
was not common. When husband and wife separated, as they 
frequently did, each was at liberty to select another partner. 
The political wife of a chief was called wahine-hoao j the others, 
haia-wahine, or concubine. 

In the royal families, to subserve purposes of state, father 
and daughter, brother and sister, and uncle and niece frequently 
united as man and wife. The children of such unions were 
esteemed of the highest rank, and, strange to say, no mental or 
physical deterioration seemed to result from these incestuous re- 
lations, for all through the past the mois and nobles of the group 
were noted for their gigantic proportions. 

There were five or more grades of chiefs connected with the 
royal lines. First in order, and the most sacred, was the alii- 
niaupio (the offspring of a prince with his own sister) ; next, the 
alii-pio (the offspring of a prince with his own niece) ; next, the 
alii-naha (the offspring of a prince or king with his own daugh- 
'ter) ; next, the alii-wohi (the offspring of either of the foregoing 
with another chiefly branch) ; and next, the lo-alii (chiefs of 
royal blood). Any of these might be either male or female. 

To these grades of chiefs distinct personal tabus or preroga- 
tives were attached, such as the tabu-tfioe, tabu-wela, tabu-hoano and 
tabu-wohi. These tabus could be given or bequeathed to others 



54 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

by their possessors, but could not be multiplied by transmission. 
The tneles, or ancestral chants of a family, passed in succession 
to the legal representatives, and became exclusively theirs ; but 
the government, tabus and household gods of the king were sub- 
ject to his disposal as he willed, either at his death or before it. 
The child of a tabu chief, born of a mother of lower rank, could 
not, according to custom, assume the tabu privileges of his father, 
although in some instances in the past they were made to inure 
to such offspring, notably in the case of Umi, King of Hawaii. 

Before an alii-iiiaupio, clothed with the supreme function of 
the tabu-moe, all, with the exception of tabu chiefs, were com- 
pelled to prostrate themselves. When he appeared or was ap- 
proached his rank was announced by an attendant, and all not 
exempt from the homage were required to drop with their faces 
to the earth. The exemptions were the alii-pio, the alii-naha, 
the alii-wohi and the lo-alii. They, and they alone, were per- 
mitted to stand in the presence of a niaupio chief. An aliipio 
was also a sacred chief, so much so that he conversedwith others 
only in the night-time, and on chiefesses of that rank the sun was 
not allowed to shine. 

The kings lived in affluence in large mansions of wood or 
stone, in the midst of walled grounds adorned with fruit and 
shade trees and other attractive forms of vegetation. The 
grounds also contained many other smaller buildings for the 
accommodation of guests, retainers, attendants, servants and 
guards. They were attended by their high-priests, civil and 
military advisers, and a retinue of favorite chiefs, and spent 
their time, when not employed in war or affairs of state, in in- 
dolent and dignified repose. 

The personal attendants of an ancient Hawaiian king were 
all of noble blood, and each had his specified duty. They were 
known as kahu-alii, or guardians of the person of the king. 
They consisted of the iwikuamoo, or rubber of the person ; the 
ipukuha, or spittoon-bearer ; the paakahili, or ka/uti-he^a.r&i: ; the 
kiaipoo, or sleep-watcher ; and the aipuupuu, or steward. Other 
inferior chiefs, called puuku, with messengers, spies, execution- 
ers, prophets, astrologers, poets, historians, musicians and dan- 
cers, were among his retainers. Connected with the palace was 
an apartment used as a heiau, or chapel, which was sometimes in 
charge of the high-priest. 



INTRODUCTION. 55 

During festival seasons brilliant feasts, tournaments and hida 
and musical entertainments were given in the royal grounds, and 
the court was splendid in displays of flowers, feathers and other 
gaudy trappings. The king not unfrequently took part in the 
inanly games and exercises of the chiefs, and sometimes compli- 
mented the hula dancers and musicians by joining in their per- 
formances. 

To render the kings and higher nobility still more exclusive, 
they had a court language which was understood only by them- 
selves, and which was changed in part from time to time as its 
expressions found interpretation beyond the royal circle. Some 
portions of this court language have been preserved. 

ARTS, HABITS AND CUSTOMS. 

All implements of war or industry known to the early Ha- 
waiians were made either of wood, stone, or bone, as the islands 
are destitute of metals ; but with these rude helps they laid up 
hewn-stone walls, felled trees, made canoes and barges, manufac- 
tured cloths and cordage, fashioned weapons, constructed dwell- 
ings and temples, roads and fish-ponds, and tilled the soil. They 
had axes, adzes and hammers of stone, spades of wood, knives 
of flint and ivory, needles of thorn and bone, and spears and 
daggers of hardened wood. They wove mats for sails and other 
purposes, and from the inner bark of the paper mulberry-tree 
beat out a fine, thin cloth called kapa, which they ornamented 
with colors and figures. 

Their food was the flesh of swine, dogs and fowls ; fish, and 
almost everything living in the sea ; taro, sweet potatoes and 
yams, and fruits, berries and edible sea-weed of various kinds. 
Poi^ the favorite food of all classes, was a slightly ferment- 
ed paste made of cooked and pounded taro, a large bulbous 
root, in taste resembling an Indian turnip. They made a stupe- 
fying beverage by chewing the awa root, and from the sweet root 
of the ti plant fermented an intoxicating drink. The soft parts 
of the sugar-cane were eaten, but, with the exception of the 
manufacture of a beer called uiuia, no other use seems to have 
been made of it. Their food, wrapped in // leaves, was usually 
cooked in heated and covered pits in the earth. Their house- 
hold vessels were shells, gourd calabashes of various shapes and 
sizes, and platters and other containers made of wood. 



56 



THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 



The dress of the ancient Hawaiian was scant, simple and 
cool. The principal, and generally the only, garment of the 
male was the maro, a narrow cloth fastened around the loins. 
To this was sometimes added, among the masses, a kihei, or 
cloth thrown loosely over the shoulders. The females wore a. 
pau, or skirt of invariably five thicknesses of kapa, fastened 
around the waist and extending to the knees. When the weather 
was cool a short mantle was sometimes added. Ordinarily the 
heads of both sexes were without coverings, and in rare instances, 
they wore kamaas, or sandals of ti or pandanus leaves. 

With the maro, which was common to the males of all ranks,, 
the king on state occasions wore the royal mamo, a mantle reach-^ 
ing to the ankles, and made of the yellow feathers of a little sea- 
bird called the mamo. When it is mentioned that but a single 
yellow feather is found under each wing of the maino, and that 
tens of thousands, perhaps, entered into the fabrication of a sin- 
gle mantle, some idea of the value of such a garment may be 
gathered. A few of these royal cloaks are still in existence, one 
of which was worn by 
King Kalakaua during 
the ceremonies of his late 
coronation. Pure yellow 
was the royal color. The 
shorter capes or mantles 
of the chiefs were of yel- 
low feathers mixed with 
red. The color of the 
priests and gods was red. 

The ornaments of the 
nobility consisted of head- 
dresses of feathers, pal- 
aoas, or charms of bone 
suspended from the neck, 
and necklaces and brace- 
lets of shells, teeth and other materials. Many of them were 
tattooed on the face, thighs and breast, but the practice was not 
universal. Flowers were in general use as ornaments, and at feasts,, 
festivals and other gatherings garlands of fragrant leaves and 
blossoms crowned the heads and encircled the necks of all. This, 
is among the beautiful customs still retained by the Hawaiians. 




Palaoa, a Talisman worn around the Neck. 



IN TROD UCTION. 5 7 

The dwellings of the masses were constructed of upright 
posts planted in the ground, with cross-beams and rafters, and 
roofs and sides of woven twigs and branches thatched with 
leaves. The houses of the nobility were larger, stronger and 
more pretentious, and were frequently surrounded by broad ve- 
randas. It was a custom to locate dwellings so that the main 
entrance would face the east, the home of Kane. The opposite 
entrance looked toward Kahiki, the land from which Wakea 
came. 

The homes of well-conditioned Hawaiians consisted of no 
less than six separate dwellings or apartments : ist, the heiau, or 
idol-house ; 2d, the mua, or eating-house of the males, which fe- 
males were not aflowed to enter ; 3d, the hale-noa, or house of 
the women, which men could not enter ; 4th, the hale-aina, or 
eating-house of the wife ; 5th, the kua, or wife's working-house ; 
and 6th, the hale-pea, or retiring-house or nursery of the wife. 
The poorer classes followed these regulations so far as their 
means would admit, but screens usually took the place of sepa- 
rate dwellings or definite apartments. 

When war was declared or invasion threatened, messengers, 
called lunapais, were despatched by the king to his subject chiefs, 
who promptly responded in warriors, canoes, or whatever else 
was demanded. A regular line-of-battle consisted of a centre 
and right and left wings, and marked military genius was some- 
times displayed in the handling of armies. Sea-battles, where 
hundreds, sometimes thousands, of war-canoes met in hostile 
shock, were common, and usually resulted in great loss of life. 
Truces and terms of peace were ordinarily respected, but few 
prisoners were spared except for sacrifice. 

The weapons of the islanders were spears about twenty feet 
in length, javelins, war-clubs, stone axes, rude halberds, knives, 
daggers and slings. The slings were made either of cocoa fibre 
or human hair. The stones thrown were sometimes a pound or 
more in weight, and were delivered with great force and accu- 
racy. The spears were sometimes thrown, while the javelins 
were reserved for closer encounter. Shields were unknown. 
Hostile missiles were either dodged, caught in the hands, or 
dexterously warded. The chiefs frequently wore feather helmets 
in battle, but the person was without protection. 

The athletic sports and games of the people were numerous. 



58 



THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 




The muscular pastimes consisted in part of contests in running, 
jumping, boxing, wrestling, swimming, diving, canoe-racing and 
surf-riding. Roll- 
ing round stone 
disks and throw- 
ing darts along a 
prepared channel 

Surf Board. ^^S a faVOritC 

sport ; but the most exciting was the holua contest, in which two 
or more might engage. On long, light and narrow sledges the 
contestants, lying prone, dashed down long and steep declivities, 
the victory being with the one who first reached the bottom. 
The goddess Pele enjoyed the game, and frequently engaged in 
it. But she was a dangerous contestant. On being beaten by 
Kahavari, a chief of Puna, she drove him from the district with 
a stream of lava. Sham battles and spear and stone throwing 
were also popular exercises. 

Among the in-door games were konaiie, kilu, puhenehene, punt- 
piki, and hiiia. Kotiaue resembled the English game of draughts. 
Puhenehene consisted of the adroit hiding by one of the players 
of a small object under one of several mats in the midst of the 
party of contestants, and the designation of its place of conceal- 
ment by the others. Kilu was a game somewhat similar, accom- 
panied by singing. Punipiki was something like the game of 
"fox and geese," and hiua was played on a board with four 
squares. These were the most ancient of 
Hawaiian household games. 

The musical instruments of the island- 
ers were few and simple. They consisted 
of pahus, or drums, of various sizes ; the 
oke, a bamboo flute ; the hokio, a rude 
clarionet ; a nasal flageolet, and a reed in- 
strument played by the aid of the voice. 
To these were added, on special occasions, 
castanets and dry gourds containing peb- 
bles, which were used to mark the time of 
chants and other music. They had many 
varieties of dances, or hulas, all of which 
were more or less graceful, and a few of which were coarse and 
licentious. Bands of hula dancers, male and female, were among 




Pahu, or Drum. 



IN TROD UCTION. 5 9 

the retainers of the mois and prominent chiefs, and their services 
were required on every festive occasion. 

The mourning customs of the people were pecuHar. For 
days they wailed and feasted together over a dead relative or 
friend, frequently knocking out one or more teeth, shaving por- 
tions of their heads and beards, and tearing their flesh and 
clothes. But their wildest displays of grief were on the death 
of their kings and governing chiefs. During a royal mourning 
season, which sometimes continued for weeks, the people in- 
dulged in an unrestrained saturnalia of recklessness and hcense. 
Every law was openly violated, every conceivable crime commit- 
ted. The excuse was — and the authorities were compelled to 
accept it — that grief had temporarily unseated the popular rea- 
son, and they were not responsible for their misdemeanors. 

The masses buried their dead or deposited the bodies in 
caves, but the bones of the kings were otherwise disposed of. 
There were royal burial-places — one at Honaunau, on the island 
of Hawaii, and another, called lao, on Maui — and the tombs of 
many of the ancient mois and ruling chiefs were in one or the 
other of those sacred spots ; but they probably contained but 
few royal bones. In the fear that the bones of the mois and dis- 
tinguished chiefs might fall into the hands of their enemies and 
be used for fish-hooks, arrow-points for shooting mice, and other 
debasing purposes, they were usually destroyed or hidden. Some 
were weighted and thrown into the sea, and others, after the 
flesh had been removed from them and burned, were secreted 
in mountain caves. The hearts of the kings of the island of 
Hawaii were frequently thrown into the crater of Kilauea as an 
offering to Pete. The bones of the first Kamehameha were so 
well secreted in some cave in Kona that they have not yet been 
found, and the boneS of Kualii, a celebrated Oahuan king of 
the seventeenth century, were reduced to powder, mingled with 
poi, and at the funeral feast fed to a hundred unsuspecting 
chiefs. 

The ancient Hawaiians divided the year into twelve months 
of thirty days each. The days of the month were named, not 
numbered. As this gave but three hundred and sixty days to 
their year, they added and gave to their god Loiio in feasting and 
festivity the number of days required to complete the sidereal 
year, which was regulated by the rising of the Pleiades. The new 



6o 



THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 




Kepie, or Sledge used in the Game of Holua. 
GROUP OF NATIVE IMPLEMENTS. 



INTRODUCTION. 6 1 

year began with the winter solstice. They also reckoned by lu- 
nar months in the regulation of their monthly feasts. The year 
was divided into two seasons — the rainy and the dry — and the 
day into three general parts, morning, noon and night. The 
first, middle and after parts of the night were also designated. 

As elsewhere mentioned, they had names for the five princi- 
pal planets, which they called "the wandering stars," and for a 
number of heavenly groups and constellations. It was this know- 
ledge of the heavens that enabled them to navigate the ocean in 
their frail canoes. 

In counting, the Hawaiians reckoned by fours and their multi- 
ples. Their highest expressed number was four hundred thou- 
sand. More than that was indefinite. 

After what has been written it would seem scarcely necessary 
to mention that the Hawaiians were not cannibals. Their legends 
refer to two or three instances of cannibalism on the islands, but 
the man-eaters were natives of some other group and did not 
long survive. 

THE HAWAII OF TO-DAY. 

With this somewhat extended reference to the past of the 
Hawaiian Islands and their people, it is deemed that a brief allu- 
sion to their present political, social, industrial and commercial 
condition will not be out of place. The legends presented leave 
the simple but warlike islanders standing naked but not ashamed 
in the light of civilization suddenly flashed upon them from 
across the seas. In the darkness behind them are legends and 
spears ; in the light before them are history and law. Let us see 
what the years since have done for them. 

The Hawaiian government of to-day is a mild constitutional 
monarchy, the ruling family claiming descent from the most an- 
cient and respected of the chiefly blood of Hawaii. The depart- 
ments of the government are legislative, executive and judicial. 

The Legislative Assembly, which meets every two years, con- 
sists of representatives chosen by the people, nobles named by 
the sovereign, and crown ministers. They act in a single body, 
choosing their presiding officer by ballot, and their proceedings 
are held jointly in the English and Hawaiian languages, and in 
both are their laws and proceedings published. As the elective 
franchise is confined to native and naturalized citizens, the most 



62 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIT. 

of the representatives chosen by the people are natives, all of 
whom are more or less educated, and many of whom are grace- 
ful and eloquent debaters. White representatives of accepted 
sympathy with the natives are occasionally elected, and a majori- 
ty of the nobles and ministers are white men. The English com- 
mon law is the basis of their statutes, and their civil and crimi- 
nal codes are not unlike our own. The Legislature fixes tax, ex- 
cise and customs charges, and provides by appropriation for all 
public expenditure. The representatives are paid small salaries, 
and the Legislature is formally convened and prorogued by the 
king in person. 

Although the present sovereign was elected by the Legisla- 
ture, for the reason heretofore mentioned, the naming of a suc- 
cessor is left to the occupant of the throne. ' The king is provid- 
ed at public expense with a palace and royal guard, and appro- 
priations of money amounting to perhaps forty thousand dollars 
yearly. He has also some additional income from what are 
known as crown lands. The two sisters of the king and the 
daughter of one of them receive from the treasury an aggregate 
of fifteen thousand five hundred dollars yearly. The king enter- 
tains liberally, is generous with his friends and attendants, and 
probably finds his income no more than sufficient to meet his 
wants from year to year. His advisers are four Ministers of 
State and a Privy Council. The Ministry is composed of a Min- 
ister of Foreign Affairs, who ranks as premier, Minister of Fi- 
nance, Minister of Interior, and Attorney-General. The Privy 
Council is composed of thirty or forty leading citizens appointed 
by the Crown. In certain matters they have original and exclu- 
sive powers. They are convened in council from time to time, 
but receive no compensation. The most of the Privy Councillors 
are white men, and embrace almost every nationality. The ma- 
jority of the ministers of state are usually white men of ability, 
and their salaries are six thousand dollars per annum each. 

The judiciary is composed of a Supreme Court of three mem- 
bers, one of whom is chief-justice and chancellor, Circuit Courts 
holden in different districts, and minor magistrates' courts in 
localities where they are required. The Supreme and Circuit 
judges are all white men, and but few magistrates are natives. 
The salaries of the superior judges are respectable, and the most 
of them are men of ability. The laws, as a rule, are intelligently 



INTRODUCTION. 63 

administered and promptly executed, and life and property are 
amply protected. 

Public schools are numerous throughout the islands, and are 
largely attended by native children. A considerable proportion 
of the adult natives are able to read and write their own lan- 
guage, and a number of native newspapers and periodicals are 
sustained. The English press of Honolulu — the only point of 
publication — is respectable in ability and enterprise. 

Leprosy was brought to the islands by the Chinese about 
forty years ago, and has become a dangerous and loathsome 
scourge. Lepers are seldom encountered, however, as they are 
removed, whenever discovered, to the island of Molokai, where 
they are humanely cared for by the government. It is a cureless 
but painless affliction, and is doubtless contagious under certain 
conditions. Nine-tenths or more of the lepers are either natives 
or Chinese, and the whole number amounts to perhaps twelve 
hundred. It is not thought that the malady is increasing, and it 
is hoped that a careful segregation of the afflicted will in time 
eradicate the disease from the group. 

The commerce of the islands is largely in the hands of for- 
eigners, and the sugar plantations are almost exclusively under 
their control. There are but few native merchants, the large 
dealers being Americans, Germans, English and French, while 
the smaller traders are generally Portuguese and Chinese. There 
are native lawyers, clerks, mechanics, magistrates and police- 
men ; but the most of the race who are compelled to labor for 
their support find employment as farm and plantation laborers, 
stevedores, sailors, coachmen, boatmen, fishermen, gardeners, 
fruit-pedlars, waiters, soldiers and house-servants, in all of which 
capacities they are generally industrious, cheerful and honest. 

The products of the islands for export are sugar, molasses, 
rice, bananas, fungus, hides and wool, of an aggregate approxi- 
mate value of eight million dollars annuaUy. The principal pro- 
duct, however, is sugar, amounting to perhaps one hundred thou- 
sand tons yearly. Nine-tenths of the exports of the group find a 
market in the United States, and four-fifths or more of the im- 
ports in value are from the great Republic. The receipts and 
expenditures of the government are a little less than one million 
five hundred thousand dollars annually, derived principally from 
customs duties and direct taxation. 



64 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 

The population of the islands is a little more than eighty 
thousand, of which about forty-five thousand are natives. The 
Americans, English, Germans, Norwegians and French number 
perhaps ten thousand, and Chinese, Japanese and Portuguese 
from the Azores constitute the most of the remainder. 

The postal facilities of the islands are ample and reliable. 
Inter-island steamers, of which there are many, convey the mails 
throughout the group at regular intervals, and the San Francis- 
can and Australian steamers afford a punctual and trustworthy 
service with the rest of the world. The islands have a postal 
money-order system reaching within and beyond their bounda- 
ries, and are connected with the Universal Postal Union. 

Over twenty thousand of the inhabitants of the group are 
centred in Honolulu, the capital of the kingdom, and its beauti- 
ful and dreamy suburb of Waikiki. The business portions of 
the city, with their macadamized and lighted streets, and blocks 
of brick and stone buildings, have a thrifty and permanent ap- 
pearance, while the eastern suburbs, approaching the hills with 
a gentle ascent, abound in charming residences embowered in 
palms. Small mountain streams run through the city and afford 
an abundant supply of sweet water, which is further augmented 
by a number of flowing artesian wells. With a temperature rang- 
ing from seventy to ninety degrees, Honolulu, with its substantial 
churches and public buildings, its air of affluence and dreamy 
quiet, is a delightful place of residence to those who enjoy the 
heat and languor of the tropics. 

In the midst of these evidences of prosperity and advance- 
ment it is but too apparent that the natives are steadily decreas- 
ing in numbers and gradually losing their hold upon the fair land 
of their fathers. Within a century they have dwindled from four 
hundred thousand healthy and happy children of nature, without 
care and without want, to a little more than a tenth of that num- 
ber of landless, hopeless victims to the greed and vices of civili- 
zation. They are slowly sinking under the restraints and bur- 
dens of their surroundings, and will in time succumb to social 
and political conditions foreign to their natures and poisonous to 
their blood. Year by year their footprints will grow more dim 
along the sands of their reef-sheltered shores, and fainter and 
fainter will come their simple songs from the shadows of the 
palms, until finally their voices will be heard no more for ever. 



INTRODUCTION. 65 

And then, if not before — and no human effort can shape it other- 
wise — the Hawaiian Islands, with the echoes of their songs and 
the sweets of their green fields, will pass into the political, as they 
are now firmly within the commercial, system of the great Ame- 
rican Republic. 

February, 1887. 



HiNA, THE Helen of Hawaii. 



CHARACTERS. 

Hakalanileo, a chief of Hawaii. 
HiNA, wife of Hakalanileo. 
Uli, a sorceress, mother of Hina. 

NIHEU and ) ^^^ ^f jjina. 

Kana, ) 

Kamauaua, King of Molokai. 

Keoloewa and ) ^^^3 ^f Kamauana. 

Kaupeepee, ' 

Nuakea, wife of Keoloewa. 

Moi, brother of Nuakea. 



HINA, THE HELEN OF HAWAH. 

A STORY OF HAWAIIAN CHIVALRY IN THE TWELFTH CENTURY. 
I. 

THE story of the Iltaa is a dramatic record of the love and 
hate, wrong and revenge, courage and custom, passion and 
superstition, of mythical Greece, and embraces in a single bril- 
liant recital events which the historic bards of other lands, lack- 
ing the genius of Homer, have sent down the centuries in frag- 
ments. Human nature has been substantially the same in all 
ages, differing only in the ardor of its passions and appetites, as 
affected by the zone of its habitat and its peculiar physical sur- 
roundings. Hence almost every nation, barbarous and civilized, 
has had its Helen and its Troy, its Paris and its Agamemnon, 
its Hector and its demi-gods ; and Hawaii is not an exception. 
The wrath of no dusky Achilles is made the thesis of the story 
of the Hawaiian abduction, but in other respects the Greek and 
Polynesian legends closely resemble each other in their general 
outlines. 

The story of Hina, the Hawaiian Helen, and Kaupeepee, the 
Paris of the legend, takes us back to the twelfth century, near 
the close of the second and final era of migration from Tahiti, 
Samoa, and perhaps other islands of Polynesia — a period which 
added very considerably to the population of the group, and 
gave to it many new chiefs, a number of new customs, and a 
few new gods. That the tale may be better understood by the 
reader who may not be conversant with the legendary history 
of the Hawaiian Islands, it will be necessary to refer briefly to 
the political and social condition of the group at that time. 

Notwithstanding the many sharply drawn and wonderfully- 
preserved historic legends of the Hawaiians, the early settlement 
of the little archipelago is shrouded in mystery. The best testi- 
mony, however, warrants the assumption that the islands were 
first discovered and occupied by a people who had drifted from 
southern Asia to the islands of the Pacific in the first or second 
69 



70 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 

century of the Christian era, and, by migratory stages from the 
Figis to Samoa and thence to Tahiti, had reached the Hawaiian 
group in about a.d. 550. The first discovery was doubtless the 
result of accident ; but those who made it were able to find their 
way back to the place from which they started — either Tahiti or 
Samoa — and in due time return with augmented numbers, bearing 
with them to their new home pigs, fowls, dogs, and the seeds 
of such fruits and vegetables as they had found to be wanting 
there. 

The little colony grew and prospered, and for nearly five hun- 
dred years had no communication with, or knowledge of, the 
world beyond. At the end of that time their geographical tradi- 
tions had grown so faint that they spoke only of Kahiki, a place 
very far away, from which their ancestors came. First landing 
on the large island of Hawaii, they had spread over the eight 
habitable divisions of the group. The people were ruled by dis- 
trict chiefs, in fief to a supreme head on some of the islands, and 
on others independent, and the lines dividing the masses from 
the nobility were less strictly drawn than during the centuries 
succeeding. Wars were frequent between neighboring chiefs, and 
popular increase was slow ; but the tabus oi the chiefs and priests 
were not oppressive, and the people claimed and exercised a de- 
gree of personal independence unknown to them after the elev- 
enth century. 

In about a.d. 1025, or perhaps a little earlier, the people of 
the group were suddenly aroused from their long dream of six 
centuries by the arrival of a large party of adventurers from Ta- 
hiti. Their chief was Nanamaoa. Their language resembled 
that of the Hawaiians, and their customs, and religions were not 
greatly at variance. They were therefore received with kindness, 
and in a few years their influence began to be felt throughout the 
group. They landed at Kohala, Hawaii, and Nanamaoa soon 
succeeded in establishing himself there as an influential chief. 
His sons secured possessions on Maui and Oahu, and on the 
latter island one of them — Nanakaoko — instituted the sacred 
place called Kukaniloko, in the district of Ewa, where it was the 
desire of future chiefs that their sons should be born. Even 
Kamehameha I., as late as 1797, sought to remove his queen 
thither before the birth of Liholiho, but the illness of the royal 
mother prevented. This became the sacred birth-place of princes^ 



HINA, THE HELEN OF HAWAII. 7 1 

as lao, in Wailuku valley, on the island of Maui, became their 
tabu spot of interment. 

It was at Kukaniloko that Kapawa, the son of Nanakaoko, 
was born. His principal seat of power was probably on Hawaii, 
although he retained possessions on Maui and Oahu. It was 
during his life that the celebrated chief and priest Paao made his 
appearance in the group. He came from one of the southern 
islands with a small party, bringing with him new gods and new 
modes of worship, and to him the subsequent high-priests of 
Hawaii traced their sacerdotal line, even down to Hevaheva, who 
in 1819 was the first to apply the torch to the temples in which 
his ancestors had so long worshipped. Paao was a statesman 
and warrior as well as a priest, but he preferred spiritual to 
temporal authority ; and when Kapawa died and was buried 
at lao, leaving his possessions without a competent ruler and 
his subjects in a state bordering upon anarchy, Paao did not 
assume the chieftaincy, as he manifestly might have done, but 
despatched messengers — if, indeed, he did not go himself — to 
the land of his birth, to invite to Hawaii a chief capable of re- 
storing order. 

Such a leader was found in Pilikaekae, of Samoa, who mi- 
grated to Hawaii with a goodly number of retainers, and was 
promptly established in the vacant sovereignty, while Paao con- 
tinued in the position of high-priest. Pili extended his authority 
over the six districts of Hawaii ; but beyond Kohala and the 
northern part of the island the recognition of his sovereignty was 
merely nominal, and internal wars and revolts were frequent. 

The next arrivals of note from the southern islands were the 
two Paumakua families, one of which settled in Oahu and Kauai 
and the other in Hawaii and Maui. Whether, as averred by con- 
flicting traditions, they arrived contemporaneously or two or 
three generations apart, is a question in nowise pertinent to our 
story. The legend is connected with the Hawaii branch alone, 
and the order of their coming need not, therefore, be here dis- 
cussed. 

The Paumakua family, which became so influential in Hawaii 
and Maui, arrived during the early part of the reign of Pili, in 
about A.D. 1090. A large party accompanied the family, and 
they brought with them their gods, priests, astrologers and 
prophets. They first landed and secured possessions in Maui ; 



72 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 

but the sons and other relatives of Paumakua were brave and 
ambitious, and soon by conquest and marriage secured an almost 
sovereign footing both in Maui and Hawaii. 

One of the nephews of Paumakua, Hakalanileo, who was the 
son of Kuheailani, as an entering wedge to further acquisitions 
became in some manner possessed of a strip of land along the 
coast in the district of Hilo, Hawaii. It was a large estate, and 
the owner availed himself of every opportunity to extend its 
boundaries and increase the number of his dependents. His 
wife was the beautiful Hina of Hawaiian song and daughter of 
the seeress Uli, who had migrated from Tahiti with some one of 
the several expeditions of that period — possibly with the Pauma- 
kua family, although tradition does not so state. 

At that time Kamauaua, a powerful chief of the ancient na- 
tive line of Nanaula, held sway over the island of Molokai. He 
proudly traced back his ancestry to the first migration in the 
sixth century, and regarded with aversion and well-founded alarm 
the new migratory tide which for years past had been casting 
upon the shores of the islands a flood of alien adventurers, whose 
warlike and aggressive chiefs were steadily possessing themselves 
of the fairest portions of the group. He had sought to form a 
league of native chiefs against these dangerous encroachments ; 
but the wily invaders, with new gods to awe the masses and new 
customs and new traditions to charm the native nobility, had, 
through intermarriage and strategy rather than force, become the 
virtual rulers of Hawaii, Maui, Oahu, and Kauai, and he had 
abandoned all hope of seeing them supplanted. Molokai alone 
rem lined exclusively under native control, and its resolute old 
chief had from their infancy instilled into his sons a hatred of 
the southern spoilers and a resolution to resist their aggressions 
to the bitter end. 

The eldest of the sons of Kamauaua was Kaupeepee. He 
was a warlike youth, well skilled in arms and mighty in strength 
and courage, and so profound was his detestation of the alien 
chiefs that he resolved to devote his life to such warfare as he 
might be able to make upon them and their subjects. With this 
view he relinquished his right of succession to his first brother, 
Keoloewa, and, gathering around him a band of warriors partak- 
ing of his desperation and courage, established a stronghold on 
the promontory of Haupu, on the north side of the island, be- 



BIN A, THE HELEN OF HAWAII. y t^ 

tween Pelekunu and Waikolo. At that point, and for some miles 
on each side of it, the mountains hug the ocean so closely as to 
leave nothing between them and the surf-beaten shores but a 
succession uf steep, narrow and rugged promontories jutting out 
into the sea, and separated from each other by gorge-like and 
gloomy little valleys gashing the hills and, like dragons, for ever 
swallowing and ejecting the waves that venture too near their 
rocky jaws. 

One of the most rugged of these promontories was Haupu. 
It was a natural fortress, precipitously fronting the sea with a 
height of five hundred feet or more, and fianked on the right 
and left by almost perpendicular declivities rising from narrow 
gulches choked with vegetation and sweetening the sea with rivu- 
lets of fresh water dashing down from the mountains seamed by 
their sources. It was connected with the range of mountains 
back of it by a narrow and rising ridge, which at a point some- 
thing less than a mile inland, where opposite branches of the two 
flanking gulches approached each other closely, was contracted 
to a neck of not more than fifty paces in width. The summit of 
the point abutting the ocean was a "comparatively level plateau, 
or rather series of three connecting terraces, embracing in all an 
area of nearly a hundred acres. Surrounded on three sides by 
almost perpendicular walls, and accessible on the fourth only by 
a narrow and easily-defended ridge extending to the mountains, 
little engineering skill was required to render the place well-nigh 
impregnable. 

Setting himself earnestly to the task, Kaupeepee soon trans, 
formed the promontory of Haupu into one of the strongest fort- 
resses in all the group. He surrounded the plateau with massive 
stone walls overlooking the declivities, and across the narrow 
neck leading to the mountains raised a rocky barrier ten feet in 
thickness and twenty feet in height, around which aggression 
from without was rendered impracticable by the excavation of 
precipices leading to, and in vertical line with, the ends of the 
wall. Instead of a gate, a subterranean passage-way led under 
the wall, the inside entrance being covered in times of danger 
with a huge flat stone resting on rollers. 

Although the passage was rough and in unfavorable weather 
attended with danger, canoes could enter the mouths of both 
gulches and be hauled up beyond the reach of the waves, and be- 



74 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 

yond the reach of enemies as well ; for above the entrances, and 
completely commanding them, frowned the broad battlements of 
Haupu, from which might be hurled hundreds of tons of rocks 
and other destructive missiles. With ingenuity and great labor 
narrow foot-paths were cut leading from the middle terrace to 
both gulches, some distance above their openings, and affording 
a means of entering and leaving the fortress by water. These 
paths connected with the terrace through narrow passage-ways 
under the walls, and a single arm could defend them against a 
host. 

Within the walls buildings were erected capable of accommo- 
dating in an emergency two or three thousand warriors, and on 
the lower terrace, occupied by Kaupeepee and his household, in- 
cluding his confidential friends and captains, a small heiau over- 
looked the sea, with a priest and two or three assistants in 
charge. Mountain-paths led from the fortress to Kalaupapa and 
other productive parts of the island ; and as fish could be taken 
in abundance, and Kaupeepee and many of his followers con- 
trolled taro and other lands in the valleys beyond, it was seldom 
that the stronghold was short of food, even when foraging expe- 
ditions to the neighboring islands failed. 

The services of the courageous alone were accepted by Kau- 
peepee, and it was a wild and daring warfare that the little band 
Avaged for years against the alien chiefs and their subjects. They 
could put afloat a hundred war-canoes, and their operations, al- 
though usually confined to Oahu, Maui, and Hawaii, sometimes 
in a spirit of bravado extended to Kauai. Leaving their retreat, 
they hovered near the coast selected for pillage until after dark, 
and then landed and mercilessly used the torch and spear. This 
part of their work was quickly done, when they filled their canoes 
with the choicest plunder they could find or of which they were 
most in need, and before daylight made sail for Haupu. Women 
M^ere sometimes the booty coveted by the buccaneers, and during 
their raids many a screaming beauty was seized and borne to 
their stronghold on Molokai, where in most instances she was so 
kindly treated that she soon lost all desire to be liberated. Oc- 
casionally they were followed, if the winds were unfavorable to 
their retreat, by hastily-equipped fleets of canoes. If they al- 
lowed themselves to be overtaken it was for the amusement of 
driving back their pursuers ; but as a rule they escaped without 



HINA, THE HELEN OF HA WAIL 75 



pursuit or punishment, leaving their victims in ignorance alike 
of the source and motive of the assault. 

A prominent chief of Oahu, whose territory had been ravaged 
by Kaupeepee, traced the iretiring fleet of the plunderers to the 
coast of Molokai, when it suddenly disappeared. He landed 
and paid his respects to the venerable Kamauaua, then at Kalau- 
papa, and craved his assistance in discovering and punishing the 
spoilers, who must have found shelter somewhere on the island. 
The old chief smiled grimly as he replied : " It is not necessary 
to search for your enemies. You will find them at Haupu, near 
the ocean. They are probably waiting for you. They do not 
disturb me or my people. If they have wronged you, land and 
punish them. You have my permission." 

'l"he Oahu chief offered his thanks and departed. He made 
a partial reconnoissance of Haupu, ascertained that it was de- 
fended by but a few hundred warriors, and shortly after returned 
with a large fleet of canoes to capture and retain possession of 
the place. Arriving off the entrance to the gulches, and discov- 
ering a number of war-canoes drawn up on their steep banks, he 
opened the campaign by ordering their seizure. Sixty canoes 
filled with warriors rode the surf into the gulches, where they 
were met by avalanches of rocks from the walls of the fortress, 
which dashed the most of them in pieces. The chief was startled 
and horrified, and, believing the gods were raining rocks down 
upon his fleet, he rescued such of his warriors as were able to 
reach him from the wrecked canoes, and hastily departed for 
Oahu, not again to return. 

It is said that Kamauaua watched this assault upon Haupu 
from the hills back of the fortress, and, in token of his pleasure 
at the result, sent to Kaupeepee a feather cloak, and gave him 
the privilege of taking fish for his warriors from one of the larg- 
est of the royal ponds on the island. He also quietly presented 
him with a barge, than which there were few larger in the group. 
It would accommodate more than a hundred warriors and their 
equipments, and was intended for long and rough voyages. 

These barges were constructed of planks strongly corded to- 
gether over a frame, and calked and pitched. They were some- 
times ten or more feet in width, and were partially or wholly 
decked over, with a depth of hold of six or eight feet. It Avas 
in vessels of this class, and in large double canoes of equal or 



76 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 

greater burden, that distant voyages were made to and from the 
Hawaiian Islands during the migratory periods of the past, while 
the single and double canoes of smaller dimensions, hollowed 
from the trunks of single trees, were used in warfare, fishing, and 
in general inter-island communication. After the final suspen- 
sion of intercourse, in the twelfth century, between the Hawaii- 
an and Society Islands — the possible result of the disappearance 
of a guiding line of small islands and atolls dotting the ocean at 
intervals between the two groups — the barges referred to gradu- 
ally went out of use with the abandonment of voyages to distant 
lands, and were almost unknown to the Hawaiians as early as 
one or two centuries ago. Their spread of sail was very con- 
siderable, but oars were also used, and the mariner shaped his 
course by the sun and stars, and was guided to land by the 
flights of birds, drifting wood, and currents of which he knew 
the direction. 

Some of the double canoes with which the barges were sup- 
planted were scarcely less capacious and seaworthy than the 
barges themselves. They were hollowed from the trunks of 
gigantic pines that had drifted to the islands from the northern 
coast of America, and when one was found years sometimes 
elapsed before wind and current provided a proper mate. One 
of the single-trunk double canoes of Kamehameha I. was one 
hundred and eight feet in length, and both single and double 
canoes of from fifty to eighty feet in length were quite common 
during his reign, when the native forests abounded in growths 
much larger than can now be found. But the native trees never 
furnished bodies for the larger sizes of canoes. They were the 
gifts of the waves, and were not unfrequently credited to the 
favor of the gods. 

Kaupeepee was delighted Avith the present of the barge. It 
gave him one of the largest vessels in all the eight Hawaiian seas, 
and rendered him especially formidable in sea-encounters. He 
painted the sails red and the hull to the water-line, and from the 
masthead flung a saucy pennon to the breeze, surmounted by a 
kahili, which might have been mistaken for Von Tromp's broom 
had it been seen a few centuries later in northern seas. He pro- 
vided a large crew of oarsmen, and made a more secure landing 
for it in one of the openings near the fortress. 

With this substantial addition to his fleet Kaupeepee enlarged 



HINA, THE HELEN OF HA WAII. 



77 



the scope of his depredations, and his red sails were known and 
feared on the neighboring coasts of Oahu and Maui. Haupu 
was filled with the spoil of his expeditions, and the return of a 
successful raiding party was usually celebrated with a season of 
feasting, singing, dancing, and other boisterous merriment. Nor 
were the gods forgotten. Frequent festivals were given to Kane, 
Ku, and Lono ; and Moaalii, the shark-god of Molokai — the god 
of the fisherman and mariner — was always the earliest to be re- 
membered. A huge image of this deity overlooked the ocean 
from the north wall of the heiau of Haupu, and leis of fresh flow- 
ers adorned its shoulders whenever a dangerous expedition de- 
parted or returned. On one occasion this god had guided Kau- 
peepee to Haupu during a dark and rainy night, and on another 
had capsized a number of Oahuan war-canoes that had adroit- 
ly separated him from his fleet in Pailolo channel. 

At that period the islands were generally ruled by virtually in- 
dependent district chiefs. They recognized a supreme head, or 
alii-7iui, but were absolute lords of their several territories, and 
wars between them were frequent ; but they were wars of plunder 
rather than of conquest, and sometimes continued in a desultory 
way until both parties were impoverished, when their chiefs and 
priests met and arranged terms of peace. But Kaupeepee was 
inspired by a motive higher than that of mere plunder. He 
hated the southern chiefs and their successors, and his assaults 
were confined exclusively to the territories over which they 
ruled. His sole aim was to inflict injury upon them, and the 
spoils of his expeditions were distributed among his followers. 
Brave, generous and sagacious, he was almost worshipped by his 
people, and treason, with them, was a thing unthought of. 

It was indeed a wild and reckless life that Kaupeepee and 
his daring associates led ; but it lacked neither excitement abroad 
nor amusement at home. On the upper terrace a kahua channel 
had been cut, along which they rolled the maika and threw the 
blunted dart. They played ko?iane, puhenehene, axid. punipeki, and 
at surf-riding possessed experts of both sexes who might have 
travelled far without finding their equals. The people of the 
island were friendly with the dashing buccaneers, and the fair- 
est damsels became their wives, some of them living with their 
husbands at Haupu, and others with their relatives in the val- 
leys. 



78 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIT. 



II. 

We will now return to Hina — or Hooho, as she was some- 
times called — the beautiful wife of Hakalanileo, nephew of Pau- 
makua, of Hawaii. Hakalanileo had acquired his possessions in 
Hilo partly through the influence of his own family, and partly 
through his marriage with the sister of a consequential district 
chief. Later in life he had seen and become enamored of Hina, 
the daughter of Uli, and prevailed upon her to become his wife. 
The marriage was not acceptable to Uli. The position and family 
connections of Hakalanileo were sufficiently inviting, but Uli, who 
dealt in sorcery and magic, saw disaster in the proposed union and 
advised her daughter against it. After much persuasion, however, 
her consent was obtained ; but she gave it with this injunction : 

"Since you will have it so, take her, Hakalanileo ; but guard 
her well, for I can see that some day the winds will snatch her 
from you, and you will behold her not again for many years." 

"Be it even as you say," replied Hakalanileo, "I will take 
the hazard. We do not well to reject a treasure because, per- 
chance, it may be stolen. Hina shall be my wife." 

And thus it was that Hina became the wife of the nephew 
of Paumakua — Hina, the most beautiful maiden in all Hawaii ; 
Hina, whose eyes were like stars, and whose hair fell in waves 
below the fringes of her pau j Hina, whose name has come 
down to us through the centuries garlanded with song. And for 
years she lived happily with Hakalanileo, who loved her above 
all others — lived with him until she became the mother of two 
sons, Kana and Niheu ; and then the winds snatched her away 
from her husband, just as Uli had predicted six years before. 
But the winds that bore -her hence filled the sails of the great 
barge of Kaupeepee. 

The chief of Haupu had heard of her great beauty, and re- 
solved to see with his own eyes what the bards had exalted in 
song. Travelling overland from Puna in disguise, he reached 
her home in Hilo, and saw that the poets had done her no more 
than justice. She was beautiful indeed, and the wife of one to 
whose blood he had vowed undying enmity. Returning to Puna, 
where his barge lay in waiting for him, he hovered around the 
coast of Hilo for some days, watching for an opportunity to seize 
the woman whose charms had enraptured him. 



HINA, THE HELEN OF HAWAII. 7y 

At last it came. After sunset, when the moon was shining, 
Hina repaired to the beach with her women to bathe. A signal 
was given — it is thought by the first wife of Hakalanileo — and 
not long after a light but heavily-manned canoe dashed through 
the surf and shot in among the bathers. The women screamed 
and started for the shore. Suddenly a man leaped from the 
canoe into the water. There was a brief struggle, a stifled 
scream, a sharp word of command, and a moment later Kau- 
peepee was again in the canoe with the nude and frantic Hina 
in his arms. 

The boatmen knew their business — knew the necessity of 
quick work — -and without a word the canoe was turned and 
driven through the surf like an arrow. The barge, with a man 
at every oar and the sails ready to hoist, Avas lying a short dis- 
tance out at sea. A speck of light guided the boatmen, and the 
barge was soon reached. All were hastily transferred to it. The 
sails were spread, the men bent to their oars, the canoe was taken 
in tow ; and, while the alarm-drum was sounding and fires were 
appearing on shore, Hina, wrapped in folds of soft kapa, sat sob- 
bing in one of the apartments of the barge, and was being swiftly 
borne by wind and oar toward the fortress of Haupu. 

The return to Haupu occupied a little more than two days. 
During that time Hina had mourned continually and partaken of 
no food. Kaupeepee had treated her with respect and kindness ; 
but she was bewildered with the shock of her abduction, and 
begged to be either killed or returned to her children. 

The party landed a little before daylight. The sea was 
rough, but the moon shone brightly, and the passage into the 
mouth of one of the gulches was made without accident. In the 
arms of Kaupeepee Hina was borne up the rock-hewn path to the 
fortress, and placed in apartments on the lower terr.ice provid- 
ed with every comfort and luxury known to the nobility of the 
islands at that period. They had been especially prepared for 
her reception, and women were in attendance to wait upon her 
and see that she wanted for nothing, except her liberty. The 
large private room of the three communicating apartments — 
the one designed for her personal occupation — was a model of 
barbaric taste and comfort, and to its adornment many of the 
exposed districts of Oahu and Maui had unwillingly contributed. 
Its walls were tapestried with finely-woven and brilliantly-colored 



8o THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

mattings, dropping from festoons of shells and underlapping a 
carpet of hardier material covering the level ground-floor. The 
beams of the ceiling were also studded with shells and gaudily 
stained. On one side of the room was a slightly-raised plat- 
form, thickly strewn with dry sea-grass and covered with many 
folds of kapa. This was the kapa-moe, or sleeping-couch. Op- 
posite was a kapa-coNtxtd, lounge extending along the entire 
side of the room. In the middle of the apartment were spread 
several thicknesses of mats, which served alike for eating and 
lounging purposes. Light was admitted through two small open- 
ings immediately under the eaves, and from the door when its 
heavy curtains were looped aside. On a row of shelves in a 
corner of the room were carved calabashes and other curious 
drinking-vessels, as well as numerous ornaments of shells, ivory 
and feathers ; and in huge calabashes under them were stores of 
female attire of every description then in use. In fact, nothing 
seemed to be wanting, and, in spite of her grief, Hina could 
scarcely repress a feeling of delight as she was shown into the 
apartment and the kukui torches displayed its luxurious appoint- 
ments. 

Declining food, Hina dismissed her attendants, and, throwing 
herself on the kapa-moe, was soon folded in the soft mantle of 
sleep and carried back in dreams to the home from which she 
had been ravished. The room was dark, and she slept for many 
hours. Awaking, she could not for a moment recollect where she 
was ; but gradually the events of the preceding three days came 
to her, and she appreciated that she was a prisoner in the hands 
of Kaupeepee, of whose name and exploits she was not ignorant, 
and that repining would secure her neither liberation nor kind 
treatment. Therefore, with a sagacity to be expected of the 
daughter of Uli, and not without a certain feeling of pride as 
she reflected that her beauty had inspired Kaupeepee to abduct 
her, she admitted her attendants, attired herself becomingly, par- 
took heartily of a breakfast of fish,/<?/, potatoes and fruits, and 
then sent word to Kaupeepee that she would be pleased to see 
him. 

Kaupeepee expected a storm of tears and reproaches as he 
entered the room, but was agreeably disappointed. Hina rose, 
bowed, and waited for him to speak. 

" What can I do for you ? " inquired Kaupeepee in a kindly 



HINA, THE HELEN OF HA WAIL 8 I 

tone, while a just perceptible smile of triumph swept across his 
handsome face. 

" Liberate me," replied Hina promptly. 

" You are free to go anywhere within the walls of Haupu," 
returned Kaupeepee, moving his arms around as if they em- 
braced the whole world. 

" Return me to my children," said Hina ; and at thought of 
them her eyes flashed with earnestness. 

" Impossible ! " was the firm reply. 

" Then kill me ! " exclaimed Hina. 

" Did you ever see me before I had the pleasure of embrac- 
ing you in the water on the coast of Hilo ? " inquired the chief, 
evasively. 

" No," replied Hina, curtly. 

" Well, I saw you before that time," continued Kaupeepee — 
"saw you in your house ; saw you among the palms ; saw you by 
the waters. I made a journey overland from Puna to see you — 
to see the wife of my enemy, the most beautiful woman in Ha- 
waii." 

Hina was but a woman, and of a race and time when the 
promptings of the Tieart were not fettered by rigid rules of pro- 
priety. Kaupeepee was the handsome and distinguished son of a 
king, -and his words of praise were not unpleasant to her. She 
therefore bent her eyes to the floor and remained silent while he 
added : 

" Hina would think little of the man who would risk his life 
to possess himself of such a woman, and then kill or cast her off 
as not worth the keeping. You are like no other woman ; I am 
like no other man. Such companionship has the approval of 
the gods, and you will leave Haupu only when its walls shall 
have been battered down and Kaupeepee lies dead among the 
ruins ! " 

To this terrible declaration Hina could offer no reply. The 
fierceness of this prince of the old line of Nanaula, this enemy 
of her people, this scourge of the southern chiefs, alike charmed 
and frightened her, and with her hands to her face she sank upon 
the lounge of kapa beside which she had been standing. 

The chief regarded her for a moment, perhaps with a feeling 
of pity ; then, placing his hand upon her shoulder, he softly 
said : 



82 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

" You will not be unhappy in Haupu." 

" Will the bird sing that is covered with a calabash ? " replied 
Hina, raising her eyes. " I am your prisoner." 

" Not more my prisoner than I am yours," rejoined the chief, 
gallantly. " Therefore, as fellow-prisoners, let us make the best 
of walls that shut out no sunshine, and of gates that are a bar 
only against intrusion." 

" How brave, and yet how gentle ! " mused Hina, as Kaupee- 
pee, feeling that he had said enough, turned and left the room. 
" How strangely pleasant are his words and voice ! No one ever 
spoke so to me before. I could have listened longer." 

After that Hina harkened for the footsteps of Kaupeepee, and 
lived to forget that she was a prisoner in the fortress of Haupu. 
His love gently wooed her thoughts from the past and made 
sweet the bondage which he shared with her. 



III. 



The sudden disappearance of Hina created a profound ex- 
citement among the people of that part of the coast of Hilo from 
which she had been abducted. The women who had been per- 
mitted to escape ran screaming to the house of Hakalanileo with 
their tale of woe, and soon for miles around the country was in 
arms. When questioned, all they could tell was that a canoe 
filled with armed men suddenly dashed through the surf, and 
their mistress was seized and borne out to sea. This was all 
they knew. 

Canoes were suddenly equipped and sent in pursuit, but they 
returned before morning with the report that nothing had been 
seen of the abductors. Messengers were despatched to the coast 
settlements of Hamakua, Hilo and Puna, but they brought no 
intelligence of the missing woman. Uli was consulted, but her 
divinations failed, for the reason, as she informed the unhappy 
husband, that the powers that had warned her against the mar- 
riage of her daughter and foreshadowed the result could not be 
prevailed upon to impart any information that would interfere 
with the fulfilment of the prophecy. Uli, therefore, sat down in 
gloom to await the developments of time, and Hakalanileo started 
on a systematic search through the group for his lost wife. 



HINA, THE HELEN OF HA WAIL 83 

After visiting every district and almost every village on Ha- 
waii, he proceeded with a small party of attendants to Maui, and 
thence to Molokai, Oahu, Kauai and Niihau, and back to Lanai 
and Kahoolawe ; but no trace of Hina could be discovered. 
He was well received by the various chiefs, and assistance was 
freely offered and sometimes accepted ; but all search was in 
vain, and he returned disheartened to Hawaii after an absence 
of more than two years. 

But his first search was not his last. During the fifteen years 
that followed he made frequent voyages to the different islands 
on the same errand, and always with the same result. He of- 
fered sacrifices in the temples, made pledges to the gods, and 
consulted every kaula of note of whom he had knowledge ; but 
his offerings and promises failed to secure the assistance of the 
unseen powers, and the kilos and astrologers could gather no- 
thing of importance to him from their observations. 

Meantime Kana and Niheu, the sons of Hina, grew to man- 
hood and prepared to continue the search for their mother, 
which Hakalanileo had at last abandoned as hopeless. Again 
and again had their grandmother told them the story of the ab- 
duction of Hina, and as often had they vowed to devote their 
lives to a solution of the mystery of her fate. It was vouchsafed 
to Uli to see that her daughter lived, but beyond that her charms 
and incantations were fruitless. But when the beards of her 
grandsons began to grow she felt that the time was approaching 
when Hina's hiding-place would be discovered, and she inspired 
them to become proficient in the use of arms and the arts of war. 
And to their assistance she brought the instruction of supernatu- 
ral powers. 

Niheu became endowed not only with great personal strength 
and courage, but with unerring instincts of strategy and all the 
accomplishments of a successful military leader. To Kana were 
given powers of a different nature. He could contract his body 
to the compass of an insect, and expand or extend it almost in- 
definitely ; but he was permitted to do neither except in cases 
of imminent personal peril, as the faculty was rarely imparted to 
mortals, and in this instance was accorded by Kanaloa without 
the knowledge of the powers to which that deity was subject. 

Finally, after a season of long and patient inquiry, it was de- 
veloped to Uli that her daughter was secreted in the fortress of 



84 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 

Haupu and could be recovered only by force, as she had long 
been the wife of Kaupeepee and would not be surrendered 
peacefully. Hakalanileo regarded the development with dis- 
trust ; for while at Kalaupapa, on the island of Molokai, less than 
three years before, word was brought to him from Kaupeepee, 
offering to open the fortress of Haupu to his inspection. Hence, 
when his sons set about raising a large force to attack that 
stronghold, he gave them every assistance in his power, but de- 
clined to accompany the expedition. 

Before noting with greater detail the warlike preparations of 
Hina's sons, let us refer briefly to the changes which the years 
leading them to manhood had brought to others connected with 
the events of this legend. Hina had been a not unhappy cap- 
tive at Haupu for nearly seventeen years, during which Kau- 
peepee had continued his desultory assaults upon the usurping 
chiefs of the neighboring islands. His name had become known 
throughout the entire group, and several combined attacks upon 
Haupu had been repulsed — the last by land, led by a distin- 
guished Maui chief, with a slaughter so great that the adjoining 
gulches were choked with the slain. The venerable Kamauaua 
had passed away, leaving the government of Molokai to his son, 
Keoloewa, who had married Nuakea, daughter of the powerful 
chief, Keaunui, of Oahu, and sister of Lakona, of the strain of 
Maweke. Moi, another of Nuakea's brothers, had joined Kau- 
peepee at Haupu, and became not only his steadfast friend and 
adviser, but his kaula, or prophet, as well. 

Paumakua had died at a very old age, and was buried at lao, 
leaving his titles, meles and possessions to his son, Haho ; but the 
change did not seem to affect the holdings of Hakalanileo in 
Hilo, although it brought to his sons some support in their sub- 
sequent war with Kaupeepee. Haho was a haughty but warlike 
chief, and refused to recognize the titles of many of the native 
nobles ; and, to permanently degrade them, he founded the A/ia- 
alii, or college of chiefs, which embraced the blue-blooded of 
the entire group, and remained in vogue as late as the beginning 
of the present century. To be recognized by this college of 
heraldry, it was necessary for every chief to name his descent 
from an ancestor of unquestioned nobility ; and when his rank 
was thus formally established, no circumstance of war or peace 
could deprive him of it. There were gradations of rank and 



* HINA, THE HELEN OF HAWAII. 85 

tabu within the Aha-alii, and all received the respect to which 
their rank entitled them, without regard to their worldly condi- 
tion. No chief could claim a higher grade than the source from 
which he sprang ; nor could he achieve it, although through mar- 
riage with a chiefess of higher rank he might advance his chil- 
dren to the grade of the mother. The Aha-alii had a language 
which was not understood by the common people, and which 
was changed whenever it became known to the makaainana, and 
it w.is their right on all occasions to wear the insignia of their 
rank, the feather wreath (Jei-hulu), the feather cape {aha ula), 
and the ivory clasp {palaoa) ; and their canoes might be painted 
red and bear a pennon. The royal color was yellow. 

Although Kaupeepee was of the undoubted blood of Na- 
naula, and would not have been denied admission to the Aha- 
alii, he treated with contempt the institution of nobility found- 
ed by Haho, declaring that the blood of the founder himself 
was ennobled only through the thefts of his low-born grand- 
father. This was doubtless correct ; but Kaupeepee's hatred of 
the southern invaders would not allow him to be just, even to 
their ancestors. 

Such was the condition of affairs when the sons of Hina 
began to prepare for their expedition against Haupu. They sent 
emissaries to Oahu and Maui, and were promised substantial 
co-operation by the leading chiefs of those islands, the most of 
whom had suffered from the raids of the scourge of Molokai. 
They collected a mighty fleet of canoes and a force of six thou- 
sand warriors. As many more were promised from Oahu and 
Maui, which, were Keoloewa's permission obtained, would be 
landed at Molokai to operate in conjunction with the army from 
Hawaii. 

As an attack on Haupu from the sea side was not considered 
practicable, even with the overwhelming force that was being 
organized against it, messengers were despatched to Molokai to 
prevail upon Keoloewa to permit a portion of the united armies 
to land on the south side of the island and assault the fortress 
from the mountain. His sympathies were with his brother, and 
he hesitated ; but when he learned of the formidable force or- 
ganizing for the reduction of Haupu, he appreciated that he was 
unable to successfully oppose the movement, and, with the as- 
surance that his subjects would be neither disturbed nor de- 



86 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAJi: 

spoiled of their property during the conflict, and that the invad- 
ing armies would be withdrawn from the island at the end of the 
campaign against Haupu, he consented to the landing. Had he 
known the real motive of the assault he would have advised his 
brother to surrender his fair prisoner and save both from possi- 
ble ruin ; but, conceiving that Kaupeepee's depredations had be- 
come unendurable, and that the chiefs of the great islands had at 
length united to crush him, for his own safety he felt compelled 
to leave him to his fate. 

This resolution accorded with the advice of Kaupeepee. 
Many days before his faithful kaula had told him of the ap- 
proaching invasion, of the combination of chiefs against him, and 
the doubtful result of the struggle ; and before the messengers 
reached his brother he had gone to and advised him to ofl^er no 
opposition to the landing of his enemies on the island. " Oppo- 
sition would be useless," argued Kaupeepee, " for my enemies 
are coming in great force. I have slain them and blasted their 
lands, and single-handed will meet the consequences. Do not 
embroil yourself with me, but save to our blood the possessions 
of our fathers." 

" Perhaps you are right," said Keoloewa ; " but why not aban- 
don Haupu and save yourself, if you are not able to hold it ? " 

" Never ! " exclaimed Kaupeepee. " For more than twenty 
years its walls have stood between me and my enemies, and I 
will not desert them now. I have a thousand brave men who 
will triumph or die with me. Should Haupu be taken, go and 
count the corpses around its walls, and you will not blush to see 
how a son of Kamauaua died ! " 

" So let the will of the gods be done ! " replied the brother. 
"But we may not meet again." 

" True," returned Kaupeepee, with a strange smile — " true, 
my good brother, for my sepulchre at Haupu needs ornamenting 
before the mourners come." 

" In my name take anything required for your defence," said 
Keoloewa, still holding the hand of his brother, as if reluctant 
to part with him ; "my heart, if not my arm, will be with you ! " 

"AVe shall be well prepared," were the words of Kaupeepee 
at parting ; and before he reached the top of the pali on his 
return to Haupu, the messengers from Hawaii landed at Kalau- 
papa. 



HINA, THE HELEN OF HAWAII. 8/ 

With this concession from Keoloewa the arrangements for 
the campaign were speedily made. The main body of the united 
forces was to concentrate at Kaunakakai, on the north side of 
T:he island, and move under the supreme leadership of Niheu, 
while a large detachment, embracing the best seamen of the 
several quotas, was to blockade the sea-entrances to Haupu, de- 
stroy the canoes of the fortress to prevent escape or succor, and 
co-operate generally with the land forces. This dangerous ser- 
vice was entrusted to the command of Kana. 

At the appointed time the Hawaiian army set sail for Mo- 
lokai in a fleet of over twelve hundred canoes, many of them 
double, and carrying a large supply of provisions. The assis- 
tance of the gods had been invoked with many sacrifices, and 
the omens had been favorable. In one of the large double ca- 
noes was Uli. Her form was bent with age, and her hair, white 
as foam, covered her shoulders like a mantle. In youth she was 
noted for her stateliness and beauty ; but age and care had de- 
stroyed all traces of her early comeliness, and her wrinkled face, 
and black eyes glistening through the rifts of her long, white 
hair, gave her the appearance of one who dealt with things to 
be feared. She was surrounded with charms and images, and 
before her, on a stone-bordered hearth of earth, burned a con- 
tinual fire, into which she at intervals threw gums and oily mix- 
tures, emitting clouds of incense. Her canoe followed that of 
the sons of Hina, with their priest and war-god, and red pennon 
at the masthead ; and as the fleet swept out into the ocean, with 
thousands of oars in the waves and thousands of spears in the 
air, Uli rose to her feet and began a wild war-chant, which was 
taken up by the following hosts and borne far over the waters. 

The day following a number of expeditions left various open- 
ings on the coasts of Oahu and Maui — none of them approach- 
ing the Hawaiian army in strength, but together adding an ag- 
gregate of nine hundred canoes of all sizes and about four thou- 
sand warriors to the invading force. All of them reached the 
landing at Kaunakakai on the day appointed for their arrival, 
and Niheu found himself in command of ten thousand warriors 
and over two thousand canoes. No such number of spears was 
ever before seen massed on Molokai ; but the people had been 
assured that they would not be injured either in person or pro- 
perty so long as they remained peaceful, and the terms of the 



85 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

agreement with Keoloewa were faithfully observed. Among the 
invaders the people found many friends and relatives, for inter- 
course between the islands at that time was free and frequent ; 
and although their sympathies were with Kaupeepee, they sooli 
came to regard the projected capture of Haupu as a great game of 
konane, played by agreement between two champions, during which 
the spectators were to reinain silent and make no suggestions. 

The tents of the chiefs, around which were encamped their 
respective followers, extended along the shore for more than two 
miles, while the beach for a greater distance was fringed with 
canoes, many of the larger painted red and bearing gaudy pen- 
nons of stout kapa. As plundering had been forbidden, pro- 
visions of dried fish, potatoes, cocoanuts, taro, and live pigs and 
fowls had been brought in considerable quantities in extra ca- 
noes ; but as the duration of the campaign could only be sur- 
mised, rolls of kapa and matting, shell wreaths, ivory, feather 
capes, calabashes, mechanical tools, ornaments, and extra arms 
were also brought, to be fairly exchanged from time to time for 
such supplies as might be wanted. 



IV. 



Everything being in readiness for an advance upon the 
stronghold of Kaupeepee, a war-council of the assembled chiefs 
was called. Among them were several who were well informed 
concerning the approaches to Haupu, and the main features of 
the campaign were arranged without discussion. Signals and 
other means of communication between the two divisions having 
been agreed upon, the next morning a detachment of two thou- 
sand men, occupying five hundred canoes, under the command 
of Kana, moved around the island to blockade the entrances 
to Haupu, and immediately after the main army, leaving a strong 
reserve to guard the canoes and look after supplies, broke camp 
and took up its line of march across the island to the mountains 
back of the fortress. The trails were rough, but at sunrise the 
next morning the land division, stretched along the summit of 
the hills two miles back of Haupu, looked down and saw the 
fleet of Kana drawn like a broad, black line around the ocean 
entrances to the doomed stronghold. 



HINA, THE HELEN OF HA WAIl. 89 

Meantime Kaupeepee had not been idle. Every movement 
of the enemy had been watched ; and when word came to him 
that the shores of Kaimakakai were so crowded with warriors 
that the number could not be told, he grimly answered : " Then 
will our spears be less likely to miss ! " 

The walls of the fortress had been strengthened and replen- 
ished with missiles ; large quantities of provisions had been 
secured, and sheds of ample space were finally erected for the col- 
lection of rain-water, should communication be interrupted with 
the streams in the gulches below. Before the enemy had reached 
positions completely cutting off retreat from the fortress, Kaupee- 
pee had called his warriors together and thus addressed them : 

" Warriors and friends ! — for all, indeed, are warriors and 
friends in Haupu ! — for years you have shared in the dangers 
of Kaupeepee and have never disobeyed him. Listen now to 
his words, and heed them well. A mighty army is about to sur- 
round Haupu by land and sea. It already blackens the shores 
of Kaunakakai, and will soon be thundering at our gates. The 
fight will be long and desperate, and may end in defeat and death 
to the most or all of us. I cannot order, cannot even ask you to 
face such peril for my sake. The gates are open. Let all leave 
with my good-will whose lives are precious to them. Let your 
acts answer at once, for the enemy is approaching and no time 
can be lost !" 

For a moment not a warrior of the thousand present moved. 
All stood staring at their chief and wondering that he should 
doubt. Then a confused hum of voices, rising louder and loud- 
er, swelled into a united shout of " Close the gates ! " and Kau- 
peepee was answered. And a braver answer was never given 
than that which came from the stout hearts and unblanched lips 
of the thousand fearless defenders of Haupu. The gates were 
closed, with not a single warrior missing, and the fortress was 
soon environed with its enemies. 

Halting his army on the summit of the mountains overlook- 
ing Haupu, Niheu despatched a messenger to the fortress with a 
signal of peace, to ascertain with certainty whether Hina was a 
prisoner there, and, if so, to demand the surrender of the captive. 
The messenger returned in safety, bearing this message from 
Kaupeepee : " Hina is within the walls of Haupu. Come with 
arms in your hands and take her ! " 



90 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

Communication was established with the fleet in front of 
Haupu, and Kana was advised to enter the gulches in force the 
next morning, destroy the canoes of the fortress, and maintain 
a footing there, if possible, while a strong division of the land 
forces would move down and draw attention to the rear defences 
by taking a position within attacking distance. 

In pursuance of this plan, early next morning Niheu de- 
spatched a formidable force down the mountain in the rear of 
Haupu, with orders to menace but not to assault the defences. 
Arriving near the walls, a little skirmishing ensued, when the 
detachment took a position beyond the reach of the slingers, and 
began the construction of a stone wall across the ridge. 

Meantime Kana's fleet of canoes, which had been hovering 
nearer and nearer the walls of Haupu since daylight, with a wild 
battle-cry from the warriors crowding them suddenly dashed 
through the surf, and partially succeeded in effecting a landing 
in one of the gulches flanking the fortress. So rapid had been 
the movement, and so thoroughly had the attention of the be- 
sieged been engrossed with the diversion from the mountains, 
that a division of the assaulting party managed to reach the 
canoes of the fortress, and another to secure a lodgment among 
the rocks on the opposite side of the gulch, before meeting with 
serious opposition. The score or two of warriors left to guard 
the canoes of the fortress were quickly overpowered and slaugh- 
tered, and then the work of destruction began. With loose rocks 
and heavy stone hammers the canoes were being hastily broken 
in pieces, including the great war-barge of Kaupeepee, when from 
the walls above the destroyers was precipitated a bewildering 
and murderous avalanche of rocks of all sizes and heavy sections 
of tree-trunks. As the missiles rolled and bounded down the 
steep declivity, sweeping it at almost the same moment for two 
•hundred yards or more in length, the ground trembled as with 
an earthquake, and the gorge was filled with a dense cloud of 
dust. 

The thunder of the avalanche ceased, and in the awful silence 
that succeeded Kaupeepee, at the head of two hundred warriors, 
dashed down the narrow path leading from the middle terrace to 
finish the dreadful work with spear, knife and battle-axe. The 
sight was appalling, even to the chief of Haupu. The gulch was 
choked with the bodies of the dying and the dead. Panic- 



HINA, THE HELEN OF HAWAII. gi 

Stricken, those posted on the opposite hillside had abandoned 
their only place of safety, and perished in large numbers in at- 
tempting to reach their canoes. The few left alive and able to 
retreat were wildly struggling to escape seaward from the gulch 
in such canoes of their wrecked fleet as would still float, or by 
plunging desperately into the surf. 

With exultant shouts Kaupeepee and his warriors sprang over 
their dead and dying enemies and swept down upon the unarmed 
and escaping remnant of the invaders. Although a considerable 
reserve of canoes came to their rescue from without, protected 
from assault from above by the presence of Kaupeepee and his 
party, the most of the fugitives would have been cut off but for 
the extraordinary efforts of Kana, who led the attacking party, 
but miraculously escaped unhurt. In the surf, in the deep en- 
trance to the gulch, everywhere he moved around with his head 
and shoulders above the water. He assisted the canoes through 
the breakers, rescued exhausted and drowning swimmers, and 
from the bottom of the ocean reached down and gathered huge 
rocks, which he hurled at intervals at Kaupeepee's warriors to 
keep them in check. These wonderful exploits awed the attack- 
ing party, and greater still was their astonishment when they saw 
the strange being finally walk through the deep waters, erect and 
with his head and breast exposed, and step into a canoe quite 
half a mile from the shore. Turning to his warriors, with these 
words Kaupeepee answered their looks of inquiry : " He is Kana. 
I have heard of him. I am glad he escaped." 

Kana returned with his shattered fleet and still worsely shat- 
tered army to Kaunakakai. As the most of his canoes had been 
destroyed, Kaupeepee was unable to follow the retreating enemy 
to sea, but, hearing the shouts of conflict above, at once mounted 
with his warriors to the fortress, to assist in repelling an attack 
on the rear wall which had been hastily begun to save, if possi- 
ble, the sea party from destruction. With Kaupeepee at the 
front the assault was quickly repulsed, the enemy retiring in 
confusion behind the lines of defence from which the advance 
had been made. 

The wounded in the gulch were despatched, six of the least 
injured being reserved for sacrifice, and the night following the 
fortress of Haupu was ablaze with savage joy. As the first-fruits 
of the victories of the day, the six wounded prisoners were slain 



92 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 

with clubs and laid upon the altar of the heiau as offerings to the 
gods, and chants of defiance were sent through the night air to 
the discomfited enemy beyond the walls. 

These disasters did not dishearten Niheu. The canoes of 
the fortress had been destroyed, and that was something of a 
compensation for the loss of nearly two thousand of his best 
warriors and a considerable part of his fleet. Plans for further 
assaults from the sea were abandoned, and a regular siege, with 
a final entrance by the rear wall, was suggested and in the end 
agreed to by the chiefs in council. 

Lines of pickets were accordingly stationed along the sum- 
mits of the mountains flanking the fortress, in order to prevent 
the entrance into it of reinforcements or supplies, and the main 
body of the attacking force was moved down and placed in posi- 
tions within slinging distance of the rear wall. This was not 
done without loss, for the wall was manned with expert slingers ; 
but in less than a week the besiegers had advanced their main 
line of wooden defences within a hundred paces of the rear bul- 
wark of the fortress and were daily gaining ground. 

This movable line of assault and defence was a device as 
ingenious as it was effective. Timbers twenty feet in length, or 
corresponding with the height of the wall, were firmly corded 
together side by side until they stretched across the narrow sum- 
mit leading to the fortress. To the top of each fourth or fifth 
timber was lashed a movable brace thirty feet in length, and 
then the wooden wall was raised into the air nearly erect, and 
securely held in that position by its line of supporting braces. 
It was a formidable-looking structure. Against it the missiles of 
the besieged fell harmless, and behind it the besiegers worked in 
safety. 

Section by section and foot by foot this moving line of tim- 
ber was advanced, until the warriors on the wall could almost 
touch it with their spears. Several desperate sorties, to destroy 
or prostrate it, had been made, but nothing beyond the cutting 
of a few of the lower fastenings had been achieved ; and the de- 
fenders of Haupu, with tightened grasp of their weapons, grimly 
awaited the final assault, which they felt would not long be de- 
layed. Day after day, night after night, they watched ; but the 
wooden wall did not move, and they could only guess at what 
was going on behind it. 



HINA, THE HELEN OF HAWAII. 93 

Finally a night of inky darkness came — a night " as dark as 
the farthest confines of Po " — bringing with it a storm of wind 
and rain. In the midst of the storm the wooden wall began to 
move, but so noiselessly that the advance was not perceived by 
the fortress sentinels. Midnight came and went ; the storm con- 
tinued, and nearer and nearer to the wall of stone was crowded 
the wall of timber. Just as coming day began to streak the 
east the bases of the two walls came together, the backward 
inclination of both leaving them a few feet apart at their 
tops. Hundreds of men then laid hold of the braces, and in a 
moment the wooden wall was shoved over and stayed against the 
other. 

The alarm was given within, and warriors from all parts of 
the enclosure sprang toward the menaced wall. But the move- 
ment of their enemies was not less prompt. Up the braces they 
swarmed in such numbers that the few who had succeeded in 
reaching the top of the wall from within were hurled from it, and 
after them poured a cataract of spears against which the oppos- 
ing force was powerless. The huge stone was rolled back, the 
gate was opened, and soon the upper terrace was cleared and five 
thousand warriors, led by Niheu in person, were sweeping down 
to complete their work of slaughter. 

But their victory was not to be cheaply purchased. They 
had slain two or three hundred on the wall and around the gate, 
but thrice as many more, under the desperate leadership of Kau- 
peepee, were stretched like a wall across the middle terrace, with 
a resolution to contest every pace of the ground with their lives. 
They might have escaped, perhaps, down the paths leading from 
that terrace to the gulches ; but they preferred to die, as they 
had for years lived, in defence of Haupu. 

Down the terrace swept the victorious horde in the gray dawn 
of the morning. Niheu vainly tried to hold his warriors in 
check, for he knew the main body of the fortress force was still 
before him, and would have advanced with prudence ; but the 
voices of the leaders were drowned in the battle-shouts of the 
surging throng, which in a few minutes struck Kaupeepee's wall 
of spears and battle-axes, and rolled back like a storm-wave bro- 
ken against the front of Haupu. But the check was only mo- 
mentary, for immediately behind the shattered column was a 
forest of advancing spears, and with a wild tumult of shouts and 



94 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIT. 

clashing weapons the entire force was precipitated upon Kaupee- 
pee's thin but resolute lines of defence. 

The slaughter was frightful ; but the unequal conflict could 
have but one result. Kaupeepee and the fifty or less of his fol- 
lowers left standing were crowded, fighting step by step, into the 
lower terrace, and thence to the heiau, and finally to the temple 
as a last place of defence. There the struggle was brief. The 
roof of the temple was fired, and as Kaupeepee and the last of 
his devoted band sprang from the blazing building to die at the 
throats of their enemies they were struck down with their javelins 
in the air. A spear penetrated the breast of Kaupeepee. As a 
last act he poised his ihe to hurl at a helmeted chief who had 
just struggled to the front. The chief was Niheu. By his dress 
or face, which bore a resemblance to the features of Hina, Kau- 
peepee must have recognized him. He looked, but his arm did 
not move. " Not for your sake, but for hers ! " exclaimed the 
dying warrior, dropping his weapon to the earth and falling life- 
less beside it. 

Not one of the defenders of Haupu escaped, but more than 
one-half of Niheu's army perished in the various assaults upon 
the fortress. Hina was found uninjured, and, while there was 
great joy to her in the embrace of her sons and aged mother, 
she wept over the death of Kaupeepee, who with his love had 
made light her long imprisonment. 

The body of Kaupeepee was given to Keoloewa for interment, 
as were also the remains of Moi, who was among the last to fall. 
The walls of Haupu were levelled, never to be raised again, and 
Hina returned to her husband in Hilo, after a separation of 
nearly eighteen years, thus bringing to a close one of the most 
romantic legends of early Hawaiian chivalry. 



The Royal Hunchback. 



CHARACTERS. 

Kanipahu, king of Hawaii. 

Kalapana, son of Kanipahu. 

Kamaiole, a usurper of the throne, chief of Kau. 

loLA, sister of Kamaiole. 

Makea, daughter of Tola. 

Waikuku, a military chief, abductor of lola. 

Nanoa, a chief in the royal household. 



THE ROYAL HUNCHBACK. 

THE LEGEND OF KANIPAHU, THE GRANDSON OF PILI. 
I. 

ABOUT the period of a. d. ii6o Kanipahu was the nominal 
sovereign of the island of Hawaii. He was the grandson 
of Pili, who near the close of the previous century came from 
Samoa, at the solicitation of the high-priest Paao, to assume the 
moiship left vacant by the death of Kapawa, whose grandfather 
was probably the first of the southern chiefs who came to the 
Hawaiian group during the important migratory movements of 
the eleventh and twelfth centuries. 

Although the sovereignty of the entire island was claimed by 
the Pili family, disturbances were frequent in the time of Kani- 
pahu, and a few of the native chiefs of the old stock of Nanaula, 
which held sway in the group for nearly six centuries, refused to 
yield allegiance to the new dynasty. To strengthen his power 
and placate the native chiefs and people, Kanipahu took to wife 
Hualani, the fifth in descent from Maweke, of the Nanaula line, 
and subsequently Alaikaua, who was probably of the same native 
strain. 

The makaainana, or common people, however, seem to have 
been better satisfied with their new rulers than were their former 
chiefs who had been supplanted in authority, and it was there- 
fore with difficulty that they could be aroused to a resistance to 
political conditions which imposed upon them no hardships 
which they had not borne under their old rulers, and no re- 
sponsibilities with which they were not already familiar. And, 
besides, the new-comers from the south had introduced new 
laws, new customs and new products of the soil, as well as new 
gods and new forms of worship. They had brought with them 
the kaeke, or sacred drum, and puloulou, or inviolable tabu staff, 
crowned with balls of white or black kapa. They had also insti- 
tuted the title of moi, or supreme sovereign, whereas the several 
islands before had been ruled by scores of independent chiefs, 

97 



98 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

each claiming and holding as large a district as he was able to 
defend. They had established the Aha-alii, or college of chiefs, 
through which the rank of every noble might find recognition, 
and be perpetuated in his family. They had constructed grander 
heiaus, or temples, and shut the populace from the observance of 
many of their religious ceremonies. The tabus of the chiefs and 
priests had been enlarged and rendered more strict, and the 
priesthood had become more powerful and independent. The 
persons of the mois and high chiefs had become more sacred, 
and they exercised their functions with increased display and 
ostentation. 

These additional exactions on the part of the new rulers, 
however, were partially if not wholly compensated for to the 
laboring masses by the protection brought to them through the 
political change against the oppressions of their petty chiefs and 
land-owners ; and it is therefore probable that, on the whole, 
their social and industrial condition was quite as tolerable under 
the new as under the old or native regime. 

Kanipahu resided principally in Kohala, where his grand- 
father had taken up his abode, and constructed mansions con- 
sistent with his sovereign state. And it was there that the high- 
priest Paao, who brought Pili to the group, established himself 
and family, after first landing in Puna and erecting to his god 
the temple of Wahaula, the ruins of which are still seen near the 
village of Kahawalea. After the arrival of Pili it is probable 
that Paao removed with him to the more populous district of 
Kohala, and there remained as his high-priest and adviser. At 
Puuepa he erected the large heiau of Mookini, the stones for 
which were passed from hand-to-hand from Niulii, a distance of 
nine miles — a circumstance indicating the presence of a large 
population on Hawaii at that time. As it was one of the lar- 
gest temples in the group — its walls, enclosing an irregular paral- 
lelogram, having an aggregate length of 817 feet, with a height 
of 20 feet, and a breadth of 8 feet at the top — a vast amount 
of labor must have been required to transport the material 
over so long and rough a road, with no appliance more effec- 
tive than human muscle. But the walls are so well built that 
they are standing to-day, and from a secret crypt in the wall 
of the south side of the heiau were taken but a few years ago, 
and are still preserved, two finely-polished stone disks of a 



THE ROYAL HUNCHBACK. 99 

diameter of eight or ten inches, which it is not improbable were 
the two strange idols which tradition says Paao brought with 
him over the great waters from Upolu, and which were hidden 
by some faithful kahu or servant of the heiau when the ancient 
worship of the people was abolished by the second Kamehameha 
in 18 19. 

Kanipahu was a just and considerate sovereign, and sought 
by every peaceful means to harmonize the conflicting interests of 
the chiefs and strengthen and consolidate his power. To this 
end, as already stated, he allied himself by marriage to the Na- 
naula line of chiefs, and attached to his person and household a 
number of prominent noblSs of native lineage. The result was 
that for some years he ruled in peace, and race jealousies were 
gradually wearing away, when a circumstance occurred which 
suddenly terminated the reign of Kanipahu and drove him into 
exile. 

It was a sultry afternoon, near the time of the annual feast of 
Lono, perhaps in 1172, that Kanipahu, after having despatched 
the business of the day, was reclining on a couch of mats m the 
cool shade of a palm-grove within the walled enclosure of the 
palace grounds — if, indeed, two large wooden and thatched build- 
ings, each a hundred or more feet in length by forty in breadth, 
with eight or ten smaller houses among the banana growths in 
the rear, may be called a palace. The grounds were thickly 
studded with shade and fruit trees, embracing almost every 
variety of value found on the island. Here and there were 
shaded walks and vine-wreathed nooks in which rude seats had 
been constructed ; and as the sentinels lounged lazily at the 
entrance, and the kahiis of the king languidly administered to 
his wants, the scene was a picture of royal power and barbaric 
comfort peculiar to the Polynesian islands, but scarcely less 
imposing than the forms and architectural environments of the 
jarls and princes of northern and central Europe at that period. 
Each of the personal attendants of the king was of the lesser 
nobility, and his office was one of honor. Over the head of the 
drowsing sovereign the paakahili, or kahili-\>^2.xtx, at brief inter- 
vals waved his tuft of painted plumes, while at a respectful dis- 
tance stood the spittoon-bearer (ipakuhd) and head steward 
{aipuupuu). 

The king was suddenly aroused by a tumult at the outer 



lOO THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

gate. There was a sound of angry voices mingled with a clash- 
ing of spears, and immediately after a tall chief, clad in 7naro, 
feather cape and helmet, and bearing a stout ihe, or javelin, 
strode toward the royal mansion, followed by a number of ex- 
cited chiefs and their retainers. Reaching the palace, the chief 
turned and faced his clamoring pursuers with a look of defiance. 
To shed blood there was an offence which no one was bold or 
reckless enough to commit, and, after one of the number had 
first been despatched to the king to ascertain his pleasure, the 
entire party of chiefs repaired to the royal presence, leaving 
their weapons behind in the hands of the guards who had hur- 
ried toward the scene of disturbance. 

Bowing low before the king, who had risen to a sitting pos- 
ture on his couch, the chiefs waited for him to break the silence. 
Slowly scanning his auditors, all but one of whom he knew and 
trusted, Kanipahu finally fixed his eyes upon the face of the 
stranger and quietly said : 

" Your face is strange to me. Who are you, and what brings 
you here ?" 

" Great chief, I am Kamaiole, a chief of Kau," was the reply, 
" and I came to Kohala in search of my sister, lola, who was 
stolen and brought here about the close of the last season of 
rain," 

" Have you found her ? " inquired the king. 

" I have found her," replied Kamaiole, bowing his head. 

"Who took your sister away from Kau ? " resumed the king. 

"That man," said Kamaiole, pointing to one of the chiefs 
present; "at least, so I presume, since he was seen in Kau 
about the time of her disappearance, and I found her in his 
possession here." 

The chief designated was a large and well-favored young 
man, with a palm-tree tattooed upon each of his muscular 
thighs, and wearing a number of gaudy ornaments around his 
neck. He was an alii koa, or military chief, without possessions 
and in the service of the king, to whom he was distantly related. 
Turning toward him, Kanipahu said : 

" Speak, Waikuku, and answer the words of the chief of Kau." 

Glancing savagely at Kamaiole, Waikuku bowed to the 
king and replied : 

" It is true that lola came with me from Kau, where I went 



THE ROYAL HUNCHBACK. IQI 

to visit the brother of my mother ; but she came willingly, al- 
though I admit without the consent of Kamaiole." 

" Waikuku is of the blood of noble chiefs," said the king in a 
tone of conciliation ; " why not permit your sister, since it is her 
will, to remain with him in peace ? " 

" She may remain," was Kamaiole's grim reply. 

" And well may she remain ! " exclaimed Waikuku bitterly. 
" lola is dead ! To-day, even a few breaths past, her brutal 
brother found and with his own hand killed her ! " 

" Killed her ? " repeated the king. 

"Yes, killed her," continued Waikuku; "and but that her 
cowardly murderer sought the protection of the royal enclosure, 
my spear would have tasted his blood ! " 

" Speak, and give good reason for this murder of the wife of 
Waikuku," said the king, sternly addressing Kamaiole, " or, by 
great Lono ! I will downward command your face !" 

When a prisoner of war or malefactor was brought before an 
ancient Hawaiian king, if his order was " Downward the face ! " 
the prisoner was taken away and slain at once by one of the royal 
executioners ; but if it was " Upward the face ! " his life was spared, 
either for complete pardon, slavery or sacrifice to the gods. 

Giving little regard to the threat of the king, but burning 
with wrath at the insulting language of Waikuku, Kamaiole 
proudly answered : 

" I am of the aha-alii of Hawaii. My war-canoes are red, 
and pennons float at their mast-tips. The blood of Nanaula is 
in my veins, and my ancestors were of the alii-nui — were kings 
here generations before Pili landed at Kohala or the Pauma- 
kuas blasted the shores of Hilo. With a rank befitting it was 
my purpose to mate my sister. But she secretly became the wife 
of a xc^zx^M^xxig puiiku — possibly by force, probably by the charm 
of lies and the glitter of shells — and I followed and slew her, that 
her blood and mine might not be degraded by being mingled 
with that of Waikuku ! " 

^^Fiiukuf" hissed Waikuku, enraged at the low rank con- 
temptuously given him by Kamaiole, and making a hostile men- 
ace toward the speaker. 

Kamaiole regarded Waikuku for a moment with a look of 
disdain, and then continued : 

" The occupation of this Waikuku — this woman-stealer — is 



I02 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 

that of war, I have been informed. He boasted that his spear 
would have tasted the blood of Kamaiole had he not sought the 
protection of the royal grounds. I came here through no fear 
of his arm or the spears of his friends, but to explain to the king 
why I had shed blood within sight of the royal hale. But since 
he talks so bravely of blood and spears, I challenge him to make 
good his words with me beyond the palace walls. The matter 
is solely between us. I am prepared to answer to him in words 
of combat for what I have done to-day. Or if, as I suspect, he 
lacks the courage to give his warlike training a test so public, I 
will ward a spear with such of his friends, one by one, as may 
feel disposed to make his grievance theirs." 

The chiefs looked at each other in amazement at the broad 
challenge of Kamaiole, and the king seemed to be scarcely less 
astounded. But the proposal could not be deemed either unfair 
or unusual, since, according to the usage of the time, Kamaiole 
was answerable to Waikuku for the death of lola. 

The stinging remarks of the dauntless Kau chief left to Wai- 
kuku no pretext or excuse for declining the challenge, and the 
king somewhat reluctantly consented to a settlement of the mat- 
ter by the arbitrament of single combat, with such weapons as 
might be mutually agreed upon. 

Among the members of the royal household who witnessed 
this remarkable interview with the king was a chief of the old 
native line called Nanoa. Admiring the cool courage of Ka- 
maiole, and feeling for him something of a sympathy of lineage, 
he proffered to stand his friend and adviser in the forthcoming 
encounter ; and the arrangements finally made were that the 
hostile parties were, to meet just at sunset in a grove immediately 
back of the palace enclosure. They were to be armed each with 
two spears and a javelin. The spears were first to be used when 
the combatants approached within twenty paces of each other. 
These being thrown without ending the battle, the parties were 
to advance to close encounter with their javelins, with the dis- 
cretion of either throwing or retaining them in hand. No other 
weapons were to be used, and the conditions of the meeting were 
such that the king, who proposed to be present, did not deem it 
probable that there would be loss of life, especially as he had 
resolved to put an end to the combat with the first wound re- 
ceived by either. 



THE ROYAL HUNCHBACK. IO3 

Promptly at the time appointed the principals were on the 
ground. The attendants of Kamaiole were nowhere to be seen. 
By his orders they had quietly left the village two hours before, 
and the only friend at his side was Nanoa. He had thrown 
aside his cloak and helmet, and stood stern and motionless at 
the place assigned him, with a spear in his right hand, and an- 
other, with a javelin, at his feet. With limbs and shoulders bare, 
and beard and hair black as midnight veiling his neck, Kamaiole 
leaned upon his spear a picture of barbaric strength and courage. 

Thirty paces in front of Kamaiole stood Waikuku, similarly 
armed and clad, but less calm than his adversary. Around him 
were a score or more of high chiefs, some rallying and others 
advising him ; but he remained gloomily silent, nervously await- 
ing the arrival of the king and the word for action. 

In a few minutes Kanipahu, accompanied by a number of 
armed attendants, arrived and took a seat prepared for him at a 
point about equally distant from the two combatants. It being 
announced that everything was in readiness, the king signaled 
the word to be given, and the hostile chiefs, advancing five paces 
each, were in a moment balancing their long spears for flight. 
The spear of Waikuku first shot through the air in a line direct 
for his adversary's breast ; but the latter adroitly turned it from 
its course with a touch from his own weapon, which he in turn 
launched at Waikuku without effect. The second spears were 
thrown to the injury of neither, when they grasped their javelins 
and slowly and warily began to advance. It was an exciting mo- 
ment. As each had gripped his weapon with both hands, it was 
apparent that neither ihe would be thrown, and a hand-to-hand 
struggle was inevitable. 

The king drew nearer to obtain a better view of the closing 
conflict, and the spectators eagerly watched every movement of 
the advancing chiefs. Approaching within striking distance — 
the javelins being about six feet in length — a few feints were 
made, and Waikuku ventured a desperate thrust at the breast 
of his opponent. The movement was evidently expected, per- 
haps invited, for like a flash the point of the ihe was thrown into 
the air, and the next moment Waikuku received a thrust through 
the side. He fell, javelin in hand, and Kamaiole was lifting his 
weapon to strike his prostrate enemy to the heart when " Stop ! " 
came the command of the king. 



I04 



THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 



Heedless of the royal order, or too greatly excited to be able 
to restrain his hand, Kamaiole savagely drove his javelin into the 
breast of Waikuku, inflicting a death-wound. 

" Downward the face ! " thundered the king, exasperated at 
Kamaiole's apparent defiance of his order. 

The chiefs began to move forward to seize or slay the of- 
fender. Knowing that his death had been decreed, Kamaiole 
recklessly poised his ihe, red with the life-blood of Waikuku, 
and with a wild cry of " Yes, downward the face ! " hurled it at 
the heart of Kanipahu. 

With exclamations of rage and horror the spectators sprang 
toward Kamaiole, the most of them dropping their unwieldy 
spears and grasping their pahoas, or daggers of ivory or hard- 
ened wood, as they advanced. 

For an instant Kamaiole hesitated whether to defend himself 
to the death with the javelin of the dying chief, or take the al- 
most equally desperate chances of escape by breaking through 
the lines of his encircling enemies. He chose the latter, and, 
grasping the javelin, started toward the king, with the view of 
drawing his assailants in that direction. This object being ac- 
complished, he suddenly turned to the right, and charged and 
made an opening through the' throng at a point that seemed to 
be the weakest. As he flew past the yielding line he miracu- 
lously escaped the spear and knife thrusts aimed at him, and 
succeeded in putting himself beyond the reach of spear and sling 
before real pursuit was made. 

The javelin hurled at the king was received in the shoulder 
of a faithful attendant who had opportunely thrown himself in 
front of his royal master ; and so rapid and confusing were the 
movements following that Kanipahu had scarcely recovered from 
his consternation at the bold assault upon his life before he 
learned that Kamaiole had escaped. Giving orders for a vigor- 
ous pursuit of the fugitive, the king walked to the body of Wai- 
kuku, and, discovering that life was extinct, directed its respect- 
ful removal, and then proceeded sadly to the royal mansion. 

Kamaiole was not overtaken. He was strong and fleet of foot, 
and, as darkness soon intervened in his favor, he was able to 
elude his pursuers. He reached the coast in safety, and, board- 
ing a canoe awaiting him in charge of his attendants, set sail for 
Kau. This provision for a hasty flight from Kohala renders it 



THE ROYAL HUNCHBACK. IO5 

•certain that Kamaiole meditated desperate work on landing there, 
and the relation of his subsequent exploits has shown how suc- 
cessfully he performed it. 

II. 

Kamaiole supposed he had killed his sister, and Waikuku, 
Avho had seen her just before his unfortunate encounter, thought 
she had but a few minutes to live ; but the wounds inflicted 
did not prove fatal, and lola finally recovered and became the 
mother of a daughter to her dead husband. Tradition attri- 
butes her recovery to the especial prayers of the high-priest, but 
•careful nursing and a good constitution were probably the saving 
means, assisted by the fortunate escape of the vital organs from 
serious injury. 

Returning to Kau, Kamaiole began to prepare for war at 
■once, not doubting that Kanipahu, defied and assaulted at the 
very gates of the royal mansion, would feel it his duty to bring 
him to submission. Sending emissaries through the several dis- 
tricts, he appealed to the native chiefs and people to join him in 
a revolt against Kanipahu, for the purpose of transferring the 
sovereignty of the island to a ruler of the old Nanaula line, and 
restoring to them the simple worship of their fathers and the 
possessions of which they had been despoiled by the southern 
invaders. 

The appeal was not without effect. Substantial aid was prom- 
ised in Kona, Kau, Puna and Hilo, and in less than three months 
Kamaiole found himself at the head of an army large enough not 
only to protect him at Kau, which was doubtless the original 
purpose of the movement, but to carry the war into Kohala and 
effect a general revolution. 

Whatever may have been the plans of Kanipahu concerning 
the rebellious Kau chief, he certainly seemed to be in no haste to 
put them in execution, for when Kamaiole arrived in Kohala 
at the head of his forces he was but feebly opposed. Tradition 
fails to account for the apathy of Kanipahu in the face of the 
supreme danger confronting him. All we are told is that, finding 
it impossible to raise an army strong enough to suppress the for- 
midable revolt, he left his sons with a trusted friend in the valley 
•of Waimanu, in the district of Hamakua, and sought refuge for 



T06 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

himself on the island of Molokai. lola, fearing to meet her bro- 
ther, or that he might learn that she still lived, also found an 
asylum with the young sons of Kanipahu in the secluded valley 
of Waimanu. 

Thus Kamaiole assumed the sovereignty of Hawaii almost 
without opposition, and Kanipahu lived quietly and unknown at 
Kalae, on the small island of Molokai. He dressed and com- 
ported himself as a simple commoner, performing his own work, 
bearing his own burdens, and accepting all the hardships to 
which the poor and untitled were subject. He won the love of 
his neighbors for his kindness, and on two occasions took up 
arms to assist them in repelling plundering raids from Maui ; and 
so well did he use his weapons that his humble friends were 
astonished, and thought he must have been trained in the arts 
of war, even if he was not of chiefly blood. It is well known 
that the chiefs, as a class, were physically larger than the masses, 
so much so that they claimed, and still claim, a descent distinct 
from that of the common people, Kanipahu was nearer seven 
than six feet in height, and his size was suggestive of rank ; but 
he habitually stooped his head and shoulders, that his height 
might be subject to less remark, and labored more industriously 
than any of his neighbors in order to convince them that he was 
reared to toil. And in the end, as the years came and went, toil 
became a (jomfort to him, for it occupied his thoughts and gave 
him dreamless and refreshing slumber. 

Let us now pass over a period of eighteen years from the ac- 
cession of Kamaiole to the sovereignty of Hawaii. Kanipahu 
was still a laborer on the island of Molokai, and his sons had 
grown to manhood in the secluded valley of Waimanu, their rank 
and family ties known only to a few who could be trusted. One 
of these sons was Kalapana, and he had married Makea, the 
daughter of lola. Her father was the dead Waikuku, and her 
uncle was Kamaiole, the nioi of Hawaii. 

Kamaiole's reign had been eighteen years of almost continual 
domestic turmoil and popular dissatisfaction. He was cruel, self- 
ish and arrogant ; but he was also a cool and sagacious soldier, 
and his craft and courage had thus far enabled him to thwart the 
organization of discontent and enforce obedience to his authori- 
ty. He had even succeeded in securing the allegiance of every 
prominent chief in the six districts of Hawaii — a political condi- 



THE ROYAL HUNCHBACK, lOJ 

tion such as had never before been achieved by any of his pre- 
decessors. 

Wide-spread changes in feudatory tenures were the principal 
causes of internal trouble. Under the Pili dynasty the land 
boundaries of the native chiefs had been greatly shifted and 
narrowed to make room for the chiefs of the new regime. In 
attempting to restore the old feudal boundaries as far as pos- 
sible, and adjust the new, Karaaiole had not only stirred up bit- 
ter strifes among the nobles, but had unwittingly disturbed the 
vassalage of the masses and thereby rendered all classes restless 
and distrustful. 

Finally the discontent became so general among the ma- 
kaainana that they appealed to the head of the Paao family, the 
high-priest of the kingdom, for advice and assistance. They de- 
clared that they would no longer submit to the tyranny of Ka- 
maiole and the exactions of his favored chiefs, and demanded a 
new ruler. Tradition ascribes this movement almost wholly to 
the laboring people, but it is more than probable that the priest- 
hood took an early if not the initiatory part in it, since the high- 
priest seems to have known that Kanipahu was still living, and at 
once despatched a messenger to Molokai, informing the exiled 
king that the people were ripe for rebellion, and advising him to 
repair to Hawaii at once and place himself at the head of the 
discontented thousands who would rejoice at his coming. Fear- 
ful of treachery, Kanipahu declined to make any promises to the 
messenger, and, in disguise, the high-priest himself proceeded to 
Kalae and urged the old chief to return and reassert his autho- 
rity on Hawaii. 

Kanipahu was profoundly moved at the words of the high- 
priest, and no longer doubted the sincerity and good faith of the 
tempting offer ; but he declined to accept it, and, when urged 
for the reasons, rose sadly to his feet and said : 

" Look at these hands, hardened and crooked with toil ; look 
at this face, begrimed and wrinkled with exposure to the sun and 
rain ; behold my bent head, and the unsightly hump that old age 
and stooping labor have placed upon my shoulders ! Is this the 
figure of a king? No ! The oo better becomes the hand of 
Kanipahu now than the staff of sovereignty. Here have I con- 
tentedly dwelt for many years, and here it is my will to peace- 
fully die." 



I08 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

" Then are we without hope," replied the priest, in a tone of 
unfeigned sadness. 

" No, not without hope," returned Kanipahu. " My sons are 
in the valley of Waimanu. I have heard from them many times. 
They are worthy of their blood. Seek out Kalapana. He is 
brave, manly, sagacious. Tell him that upon his shoulders Kani- 
pahu, his father, places the burden of the war against Kamaiole, 
and in advance bequeaths to him all his valor may win, even 
the sovereignty of Hawaii." 

" You are right, great chief ! " said the priest. " We are not 
without hope. Kalapana shall answer for his father, and from 
every heiau in Hawaii shall prayers be spoken for his success." 

The priest received the directions necessary to enable him to 
communicate with the sons of Kanipahu, and secretly returned 
to Hawaii to fan the smouldering fires of rebellion and prepare 
for the coming struggle. 

Although the high-priesthood had become too firmly estab- 
lished in the Paao family to be changed by Kamaiole, he could 
not disguise his dislike for the innovations made by the southern 
line upon the simpler worship of his fathers, and neither confi- 
dence nor cordiality existed between the political and religious 
authorities. The rebellion against Kamaiole was therefore se- 
cretly but earnestly assisted by the entire priesthood, and when 
Kalapana raised the standard of revolt the people flocked to his 
support by thousands. 

The rebellion was organized with extraordinary rapidity, and 
when Kalapana suddenly made his appearance in Kohala at the 
head of a large army, Kamaiole was in no condition to meet him. 
He hurriedly despatched his lunapais, or war-messengers, to the 
chiefs of Kohala, Kona, Hamakua and Hilo, commanding their 
prompt assistance, and summoned the priests and diviners of 
the heiaa of Mookini to make unusual sacrifices to the gods and 
to bring him at once the auguries of the uprising. But the chiefs 
responded with no alacrity to his call, and the diviners informed 
him that triumph to his arms was possible only in Kona. Ka- 
maiole therefore abandoned Kohala, and, with such force as he 
was able to assemble, fell back into North Kona, where the quotas 
of warriors from the neighboring districts were ordered to join 
him. 

Amidst great popular enthusiasm Kalapana marched into 



THE ROYAL HUNCHBACK. IO9 

Northern Kohala without opposition, and took possession of the 
royal mansion from which his father had been driven into exile 
eighteen years before. Kanipahu had not overestimated the ca- 
pacity of his son. By instinct he was a soldier, and from the 
moment that he appeared at the head of his army the chiefs who 
had been rallied to his support by the priesthood saw that the 
quiet and dreamy recluse of Waimanu was made to command ; 
and their enthusiasm in his cause, which was soon shared by the 
people, made easy his way to victory. 

Learning that Kamaiole had fallen back into Kona, Kalapana 
resolved to follow him without delay, and, if possible, bring him 
to battle before reinforcements could reach him from the south. 
The auguries were more than favorable. They were not even 
ambiguous. They expressly declared that Kamaiole would be 
killed in Kona. It was, therefore, with confidence and enthusi- 
asm that Kalapana and his steadily increasing army started on 
their march for the adjoining district of Kona. 

Meantime Kamaiole was not inactive. He had succeeded in 
gathering a force of eight thousand men, and, learning that Ka- 
lapana was advancing from Kohala, resolved to give him battle 
at a place called Anaehoomalu, not far from the northern line of 
Kona. The point was selected for its strategical advantages, and 
there Kamaiole, doubtful of the result — for he could see that the 
tide had set in against him — determined to end the struggle. 

There was but a two days' march between the hostile camps, 
and Kalapana pushed forward with cautious haste. The priests 
and kaulas had promised him success, and the most influen- 
tial chiefs of Hamakua and Kohala were at his side. He had 
brought with him from Waimanu, where it had been secreted for 
eighteen years, the war-god of Pili, which had been redecorated, 
and was borne in front of him in charge of the high-priest. 
And with him, to share his fate, went his young wife, Makea, to 
care for him if wounded, to fight by his side, perhaps, should the 
tide of battle turn against him ; for at that time, and later, the 
more courageous of the wives and daughters of the chiefs not un- 
frequently, in emergencies, took an active part in the field. 

On the morning of the third day after Kalapana's departure 
from Kohala the two armies confronted each other, and Kala- 
pana immediately organized his forces for battle. Kamaiole saw 
that he was outnumbered, and resolved to await the attack be- 



no THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 

hind his defences. In the face of the great odds against him in. 
numbers he was by no means hopeful ; and, besides, the auguries 
were unsatisfactory, and three times the night before he had 
heard the scream of the alae, the bird of evil omen. But no 
feeling of fear affected him. Filled with gloomy courage, he 
cheered his warriors with promises of victory, and, armed with a 
javelin and heavy laau-palau, or rude halberd, placed himself at 
the most exposed point of his defences and awaited the attack. 

The battle opened, and with a wild rush a heavy division of 
Kalapana's forces, armed with spears, clubs, and stone axes, was 
hurled against the rough stone wall, four or five feet in height, 
behind which the enemy found partial protection. The wall was 
leveled in places, and desperate hand-to-hand conflicts followed, 
but the assault was finally repulsed. Rallied and reinforced, a 
second charge was made, but with no better success. The loss. 
of life was great, and the result began to look doubtful. 

But Kalapana was not discouraged by these costly failures. 
Withdrawing and strengthening the attacking division, and an- 
nouncing that he would lead the next assault in person, he or- 
dered an attack in the rear of the enemy by his entire reserve. 
This involved a rapid march of two or three miles, and the pas- 
sage of a deep ravine which Kamaiole relied upon as a complete 
defence of his right flank. While this movement was being exe- 
cuted Kalapana kept the enemy employed with heavy lines of 
skirmishers and frequent menaces of more decided assault. 

For more than an hour this desultory fighting continued, 
Kalapana impatiently watching for the appearance of his flanking 
column on the hill above the enemy. At length he discovered 
the first of its advancing spears, and a few minutes later the 
entire body came into view and began to pour down the slope. 
The final assault in front was then ordered, Kalapana taking 
command in person. 

The sudden attack in the rear carried consternation to Ka- 
maiole's warriors ; but their undaunted leader coolly and reso- 
lutely prepared for the worst. Hastily taking from the front de- 
fences such spears as could be spared, he summoned the entire 
reserve, and with the united force sprang like a lion to meet the 
attack from the hill. It came like an avalanche and could not 
be stayed. The struggle was desperate. As his warriors fell on 
every side of him, Kamaiole moved like a tower of destruction 



THE ROYAL HUNCHBACK. Ill 

through the conflict. He seemed to bear a charmed life, and 
men fell like grass before the sweep of his laau-palau. 

Suddenly an old man of large mould, with head bent and 
long, white hair and beard sweeping his breast and stooping 
shoulders, stepped in front of Kamaiole, and with a heavy spear- 
pointed club calmly but dexterously warded a blow of the ter- 
rible laau-palau aimed at his head, and, answering quick as 
thought, felled the royal warrior to the earth like a forest tree. 
Around and over the body of the fallen chief a desperate strug- 
gle ensued. But it was of short duration. Under the command 
of Kalapana the front defences had been carried, and such of 
the royal army as had escaped slaughter were soon wildly leap- 
ing over the walls and retreating in confusion in all directions. 

Pressing toward the rear at the head of his victorious war- 
riors, Kalapana was attracted to the fierce hand-to-hand conflict 
taking place over the body of Kamaiole. Without stopping to 
inquire the cause, he promptly plunged into the thickest of the 
combat, backed by a few resolute followers, and speedily relieved 
the old white-haired warrior from a struggle which was taxing 
his strength to the utmost. This was the last stand made by the 
enemy in a body ; what remained of the battle was a merciless 
massacre of the wounded, and the capture and retention alive of 
a few prisoners for sacrifice. 

Resting for a moment and taking a survey of the field, Kala- 
pana's eyes fell upon the old warrior. With one foot upon the 
breast of Kamaiole, he was leaning upon his war-club and scan- 
ning the face of Kalapana. His ponderous weapon still dripped 
with gore, and his wrinkled face was splashed with the blood of 
his enemies. 

"Where is Kamaiole?" suddenly inquired Kalapana, grasp- 
ing his weapon, as if his work of death had not yet been fin- 
ished. " Where is Kamaiole ? " he repeated to those around 
him. " Who has seen him ? " 

" Here is Kamaiole," replied the old warrior, pointing with 
bloody finger to the face of the dying king. 

Kalapana abruptly turned, and for a moment gazed in silence 
upon the face of his fallen enemy. Although wounded to the 
death, Kamaiole was still living, and his eyes showed that he was 
conscious of what was transpiring around him. 

" By whose hand did he fall ? " inquired Kalapana. 



112 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 

" By mine," briefly answered the old man. 

" And who are you ? " continued Kalapana, with something 
of a feeling of awe, " who have thus come unsummoned, in the 
guise of a god from our sacred temples, to strike for the son of 
Kanipahu ?" 

The old man slowly raised his head, and, brushing back the 
white hairs from his face, was about to speak, when the high- 
priest, with kahus bearing the war-god of Kalapana, approached 
to greet his victorious chief. Recognizing the venerable warrior, 
the astounded high-priest dropped on his knees before him, ex- 
claiming, " Kanipahu ! Kanipahu ! " 

Almost in a dream, Kalapana, making himself known, em- 
braced his father, whom he had not seen for eighteen years, and 
then respectfully chided him for coming secretly from Molokai 
and joining the army as a common warrior, when his rank and 
abilities entitled him to supreme command. 

The old chief smiled sadly as he replied : 

" The purpose of my coming has been accomplished. With 
my own hand I have answered in blood to the treachery of Ka- 
maiole, and paid him for the hump he has placed upon my 
shoulders. I shall return to Molokai, and there the old hunch- 
back will spend his few remaining days in peace." 

These words were heard and doubtless understood by Ka- 
maiole, for he closed his eyes, and a smile of defiance played for 
a moment about his lips. 

Just then Makea joined her husband, and was overjoyed to 
find him victorious and unhurt. With the first lull of battle she 
had started in search of him with a calabash of water, and to 
reach him had been compelled to pick her way through ghastly 
heaps of dead. At the sound of her voice, sweetly replacing the 
din of battle, Kamaiole opened his eyes and fixed his gaze upon 
her face. Finally his lips moved as if he would speak. In- 
stinctively she approached the dying chief, and, kneeling, poured 
into his open mouth a few swallows of water. 

Kalapana turned and smiled at Makea's humanity, unusual 
on barbarous battle-fields. A grateful look came into the eyes 
of Kamaiole, and with a questioning glance he faintly syllabled 
" lola ! " the name of his sister, and the mother of Makea, whom 
she closely resembled. Kalapana caught the word, and, under- 
standing its meaning, in a tone not far from kind replied : 



THE ROYAL HUNCHBACK. II3 

" No, not lola, your sister, whom you failed to kill, but Ma- 
kea, her daughter, who is Kalapana's wife." 

Kamaiole convulsively raised his head and arms — whether in 
a spirit of rage or conciliation will never be known — and then 
dropped back dead. 

The remainder of the story may be briefly told. In disregard 
of all persuasion, Kanipahu returned at once to Molokai, where 
he lived and died in obscurity, earning his own living and assum- 
ing no rank. 

Kalapana was anointed king of Hawaii on his return to 
Kohala, and a hundred prisoners were sacrificed to the gods at 
Mookini. His reign was conciliatory and peaceful, and with 
Makea, whose full name was Makeamalamaihanae, he became 
the ancestor of Kamehameha the Great. 



The Triple Marriage of Laa-mai- 

KAHIKI. 



CHARACTERS. 

MULIELEALII, chief of western Oahu. 

KUMUHONUA, J 

Olopana, and j- sons of Mulielealii. 
MOIKEHA, ) 

Laa-mai-kahiki, adopted son of Moikeha. 
LUUKIA, wife of Olopana. 
Laamaomao, god of the winds. 
MooKiNi, a high-priest. 
Kamahualele, an astrologer and poet. 
Puna, the principal chief of Kauai. 
HooiPO, daughter of Puna. 
KiLA, son of Moikeha and Hooipo. 

HOAKANUI, \ 

Waolena, >• the three brides of Laa. 

Mano, ) 

Ahukini-a-Laa, 

Kukona-a-Laa, and }■ the three children of Laa. 

Lauli-a-Laa, 



THE TRIPLE MARRIAGE OF LAA-MAI- 
KAHIKI. 

THE LEGENDS OF MOIKEHA AND THE ARGONAUTS OF THE 
ELEVENTH AND TWELFTH CENTURIES. 

I. 

TRADITION abounds in bold outlines, here and there inter- 
spersed with curious details, of the many prominent ex- 
peditions to the Hawaiian Islands, from the beginning of the 
eleventh to the latter part of the twelfth centuries, of adventur- 
ous Tahitian, Samoan and Georgian chiefs. Learning of the 
existence and approximate location of the group, and perhaps 
guided to an extent by intervening islands and atolls that have 
since disappeared, they came with large fleets of barges and 
double canoes, bearing their families and attendants, their priests, 
astrologers and musicians, and by degrees possessed themselves 
or their immediate descendants with the fairest portions of the 
little archipelago. For a century or more bitter feuds and fre- 
quent wars followed ; but in the end the invaders and the in- 
vaded, both of the same Polynesian race, became assimilated 
through concession, intermarriage and fundamental identity of 
religious cult, and thenceforth in a united and homogeneous 
stream flowed down the years. The genealogies of the promi- 
nent chiefs and priests were alone preserved ; and while, in after- 
generations, some of them traced their lines of rank to the na- 
tive stock of Nanaula, and others to the chiefs of the second mi- 
gratory influx from the south, the ruling families of the entire 
group had become so united in blood by intermarriage that it 
was difficult to find a chief of distinction who could not trace 
his lineage back to both. 

But during the migratory period referred to, especially marked 
by the coming of Nanamaoa, Pili, Paao and the Oahu and Maui 
Paumakuas, the Hawaiian group was not the only scene of foreign 
adventure among the central islands of the Pacific. The native 
chiefs of Hawaii, whose ancestors had reached the group more 



I l8 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 

than five hundred years before, were quite as adventurous and 
skilled in navigation as their southern invaders ; and thus while 
the latter, continually augmented in numbers by fresh arrivals, 
were steadily possessing themselves of the lands and governing 
forces of the Hawaiian Islands, a few resolute chiefs of the old 
line, either in a spirit of retaliation or because the way had been 
pointed out, boldly spread their sails for the abandoned homes 
of their aggressors, and by conquest or other means acquired 
lands and influence in the distant islands of the south. 

The mooolelo about to be related embraces the romantic story 
of one of these expeditions of native Hawaiian chiefs to the 
southern islands, and presents an interesting picture of the man- 
ners, customs and aspirations of the mid-Pacific Argonauts of 
that period. 

Sornewhere about the year a.d. 1040 Maweke, a native chief 
of the line of Nanaula — the first of the family that is brought 
prominently to view in the chronology of the second influx — was 
the alii-nui, or nominal sovereign, of the island of Oahu. He 
had three sons — Mulielealii, Keaunui and Kalehenui. On the 
death of Maweke, the eldest son, Mulielealii, acceded to the title 
of alii-nui, occupymg the western side of the island. Kalehenui 
was given possessions at Koolau, and Keaunui was established in 
the district of Ewa. The latter became the ancestor of a line of 
powerful chiefs in that district, and is credited with having cut 
or opened the navigable channel near the Puuloa salt-works, by 
which the estuary now known as Pearl River, not far from Hono- 
lulu, was rendered accessible to navigation. No further reference 
need here be made to this branch of the family beyond the re- 
mark that Keaunui became the father of Lakona, and also of 
Nuakea, the wife of Keoloewa, King of Molokai, and of the pro- 
phet Moi, who fell with Kaupeepee in defence of the fortress of 
Haupu, as related in the legend of '^Hitta, the Helen of Ha- 
waii." 

Mulielealii had three sons — Kurauhonua, Olopana and Moi- 
keha — and one daughter, named Hainakolo. As the eldest son 
and successor of his father, Kumuhonua in time acceded to the 
patrimonial estates and titles ; but the younger brothers, not con- 
tent, as they grew to manhood, with the small allotments which 
must necessarily have been accorded them, concluded to seek 
for ampler and more inviting possessions elsewhere. 



THE TRIPLE MARRIAGE OF LAA-MAI-KAHIKI. I ig 

The Paumakua family occupied a large part of the eastern 
side of the island, and, although they were of the stock of the 
second influx, their relations with the native chiefs and people 
seem to have been peaceful and satisfactory. Paumakua, who 
first appeared in native annals two generations before the time of 
Olopana and his brothers, either as an immigrant from one of the 
southern islands or the son or grandson of a chief of recent ar- 
rival, was one of the most restless and dashing of the prominent 
leaders of that period. The legends of the time glow with stories 
of his marvellous exploits and adventures in foreign lands, and 
the friendly feeling entertained for his immediate successors was 
doubtless due in a great measure to the respect established for 
them through his rank and prowess. 

It is claimed by tradition that Paumakua visited all the 
foreign lands then known to the Hawaiians, and brought back 
with him many things that were strange. From one of his voy- 
ages he returned with two white priests, Keakea and Maliu, from 
whom several ecclesiastical families subsequently claimed de- 
scent and authority. At another time he brought back Malela, 
a noted prophet and sorcerer, and three other persons of a 
strange race, one of whom was a woman. Tradition somewhat 
minutely describes them as " foreigners of large stature, bright, 
staring, roguish eyes, and reddish faces." 

As the voyages of this adventurous chief were sometimes of 
many months' duration, and he is said to have prosecuted his 
researches in almost every direction, it is not impossible that the 
foreigners with "roguish eyes and reddish faces" were aborigines 
of North America. But, leaving this to conjecture, tradition per- 
mits no doubt that Paumakua was a skilful and fearless explorer, 
and through his enterprise acquired renown for himself and re- 
spect for his descendants, one of whom is about to be present- 
ed to the reader. 

As already stated, the younger sons of Mulielealii, Olopana 
and Moikeha, not content with their prospects in Oahu, resolved 
to seek fame and fortune elsewhere. Both were unmarried, but, 
through some circumstance or for some purpose not mentioned 
by tradition, Moikeha had adopted a young son of Ahukai, the 
great-grandson and successor of Paumakua. The name of the 
boy was Laa, or Laa-mai-kahiki, to which it was subsequently 
extended. The child-chief could not have been without politi- 



I20 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

cal prospects, for he is referred to in the chants as " Chief of 
Kapaahu and Lord of Nualaka." Although the custom was 
common then, as now, among Hawaiians of every rank and con- 
dition, of exchanging and adopting children, the adoption of so 
promising a scion of the Paumakua line by a grandson of Ma- 
weke must have been the result of some extraordinary compact, 
all reference to which has disappeared from tradition. 

Taking leave of their relatives on Oahu, Olopana and Moi- 
keha, with a considerable num.ber of attendants, embarked for 
the island of Hawaii, and established themselves at once in the 
beautiful valley of Waipio, in the district of Hamakua. What 
chief, if any, they found in possession there is not stated ; but it 
was not long before the valley was ruled by Olopana, with Moi- 
keha as his principal captain and adviser. The young chief Laa 
accompanied his foster-father to Waipio, and there Moikeha be- 
gan to instruct him in the manly accomplishments for which in 
after-years he became distinguished. 

To strengthen his rule and protect himself against the en- 
croachments of neighboring chiefs, Olopana married Luukia, 
granddaughter of Hikapaloa, chief of Kohala, and a descend- 
ant of the ancient line of Nanaula, to which Olopana himself 
belonged by lineage still more direct. He urged his brother to 
follow his example and connect himself by marriage with some 
one of the ruling families of Hamakua. Such an alliance could 
have been readily made by Moikeha, for his strain was undoubt- 
ed, and in manly beauty and courtly graces he had scarcely a 
peer in all the group ; but he declared that he had a wife in his 
spear and an heir in Laa, and would not create a jealousy in the 
family by adding to either. 

But the brothers did not remain long in Waipio. A terrible 
hurricane, followed by storms and floods, completely devastated 
the valley, compelling the inhabitants to abandon their homes 
and seek refuge elsewhere. Moikeha had never been satisfied 
with Waipio, and in the midst of the ruin around them found 
little difficulty in persuading his brother to make a bold push 
for the misty and far-off land of Kahiki. Preparations for the 
journey were immediately made, and in five large double canoes 
the brothers, with Laa and a considerable body of attendants, 
set sail for the islands of the south. They knew the general di- 
rection, and the sun and stars guided them in their course. 



THE TRIPLE MARRIAGE OF LAA-MAI-KAHIKL 121 

A prosperous wind wafted them to the Society group, and 
they finally landed on the island of Raiatea, and forcibly took, 
or in some other manner secured, possession of the district of 
Moaula. Olopana was accepted as sovereign of the district, and 
soon became a ruler of opulence and distinction. Moikeha, still 
his chief adviser, built a sumptuous residence and heiau for him- 
self, called Lanikeha, or "the heavenly resting-place," and be- 
came noted for his hospitality. 

For some time — perhaps for four or five years — the brothers 
dwelt together in harmony, and then misunderstanding and 
trouble came between them — it need scarcely be said, through 
a woman — which drove Moikeha again to the sea and separated 
them for ever. A meddlesome native chief named Mua, who 
was jealous of the popularity of Moikeha and desirous of sup- 
planting him in the favor of Olopana, called the attention of 
Luukia on several occasions to Moikeha's affluent style of liv- 
ing, and intimated that his purpose was to thereby secure the 
friendship of influential chiefs, and in the end wrest the sove- 
reignty of the district from his brother. Alarmed at last, she 
bore the tale to her husband, and at length succeeded in arous- 
ing his suspicions. A coldness toward Moikeha very naturally 
followed. Olopana could not help but note his brother's in- 
creasing popularity, and one day took occasion to rebuke him 
for his extravagance and love of display, suggesting, at the 
same time, that a more modest style of living would comport 
better with his position. Moikeha, who had never harbored a 
thought that was not loyal to his brother, was profoundly grieved 
at these words of suspicion, and resolved to leave Raiatea at 
once and return to the HaAvaiian Islands. Feeling that he had 
gone too far in thus indirectly accusing his brother of meditated 
treachery. Olopana endeavored to persuade him to remain ; but 
Moikeha's resolution could not be shaken, and he set about pre- 
paring at once for his return to the Hawaiian group. 

The number of canoes manned and provisioned for the 
voyage is not stated ; but tradition avers that the fleet was 
equipped under the superintendence of Moikeha's famous pro- 
phet and astrologer, Kamahualele ; and, with the priest Mookini, 
Laamaomao, the director of the winds, and a large party of 
chiefs and retainers, the expedition set sail for Hawaii, the 
young chief Laa being left behind with Olopana. 



122 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

It was one of the most imposing fleets that had ever sailed 
out of the harbor of Opoa. The large double canoe bearing 
Moikeha and his priests, gods, astrologer, principal navigator, 
wind director and personal attendants, was the same in which 
he had sailed for Kahiki. The kaulua was nearly a hundred 
feet in length, and afforded ample accommodations for the forty 
or more persons assigned to it. It was painted red, and at the 
masthead floated the pennon of a Polynesian alii. 

Moikeha embarked with a number of distinguished com- 
panions, but the most noted was Laamaomao — a name signify- 
ing, perhaps, the sacred bluish green or wind clouds. He was 
the director of the winds, which were stored in his ipu, or cala- 
bash, and went forth at his bidding. He bore a close resem- 
blance to the yEolus of the Greeks. After accompanying Moi- 
keha to the Hawaiian Islands he took up his abode near a place 
called Hale-a-Lono, a well-known eminence of Kaluakoi, on the 
island of Molokai, and was subsequently deified and worshipped 
as an aumakua, or god of the winds. 

With musicians and drummers to enliven the spirits of the 
voyagers, and favoring winds from the ipu of Laamaomao, the 
journey seems to have been prosperous, and no incident of note 
occurred until the island of Hawaii was sighted. As the green 
hills of Kau came to view songs and shouts of joy went up from 
the canoes. A voyage of over twenty-five hundred miles in open 
boats had tested the patience of the party, and land at last was a 
joyous sight to them all. Many leaped into the water and swam 
beside the canoes. Mookini, the high-priest, burned incense be- 
fore the gods, at the same time addressing them a prayer of 
thanksgiving, and Kamahualele, the astrologer and poet, recited 
an inspiring chant in further celebration of the occasion. The 
chant has been preserved by tradition. 

Some of the early poetic accounts of the first appearance of 
the islands of Hawaii above the surface of the ocean mention 
Hawaii, the largest of the group, as suddenly rising from the 
great deep and becoming a part of a row or cluster of islands 
"stretching to the farthest ends of Kahiki," from which it is 
conjectured that, centuries back in the past, islands now no 
longer existing marked the way at intervals between the Society 
and Hawaiian groups. The other islands of the Hawaiian clus- 
ter are referred to as natural births, their parents being demi- 



THE TRIPLE MARRIAGE OF LAA-MAI-KAHIKI. I 23 

gods or distinguished chiefs. Thus, in the language of an old 
chant : 

" Rising up is Hawaii-nui-akea ! 

Rising up out of the night {Po) ! 

Appeared has the island, the land. 

The string of islands of Nuuamea, 

The cluster of islands stretching to the farthest ends of Kahiki. 

To Kuluwaiea of Haumea, the husband. 

To Hina-nui-a-lana, the wife, 

Was born Molokai, a god, a priest, 

The first morning light from Nuuamea. 

Up stands Akuhinialaa, 

The chief from the foreign land ; 

From the gills of the fish 

From the overwhelming billows of Halehale-kalani, 

Born is Oahu, the wohi, 

The wohi of Akuhinialaa, 

And of Laamealaakona the wife." 

Kamahualele began by repeating an ancient story of the ori- 
gin of the several islands of the group, and concluded his chant 
with these hopeful words : 

" O Haumea Manukahikele, 
O Moikeha, the chief who is to reside, 
My chief will reside on Hawaii — a ! 
Life, life, O buoyant life ! 
Live shall the chief and priest. 
Live shall the seer and the slave. 
Dwell on Hawaii and be at rest, 
And attain old age on Kauai. 
O Kauai is the island — -a ! 
O Moikeha is the chief ! " 

Thus sang the poet, with his face toward the verdant slopes 
of Kau, Avhile the canoes of the fleet gathered around him, that 
all might hear the words of one who read the fate of mortals in 
the stars. 

II. 

The prediction of Kamahualele, inspired by a sudden view of 
the coast of Hawaii, was verified. A landing was made in the 



124 ^"^^ LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIT. 

district of Kau, the most southerly point of the island. There 
securing supplies of provisions and water, the next landing was 
effected at Cape Kumukahi, in the district of Puna ; but a recent 
eruption from the crater of Kilauea, or a subterranean channel 
connected with it, had devastated a wide strip of country near 
the coast, and after a brief stay sail was made for Kohala. Land- 
ing in that district, Moikeha and his party were well received by 
Kaniuhi, the alii-nui and grandson of Pili, and permission to 
offer sacrifices in behalf of the expedition in the great heiau of 
Mookini was accorded the high-priest of Moikeha, whose name, 
by singular coincidence, was identical with that of the temple, 
erected by the high-priest Paao more than two generations 
before. 

Leaving Kohala, Moikeha next touched at Hanuaula, on the 
island of Maui ; but, without stopping to exchange courtesies 
with Haho, the noted moi of that division of the island, he sailed 
immediately for Oahu. His purpose was to visit his royal father, 
Mulielealii, whose residence was at Ewa ; but his priest and seer 
so strongly protested against the visit, declaring it to be contrary 
to the will of the gods, that he directed his course around the 
northern side of the island, touching at Makapuu and Makaaoa, 
and then sailing directly for the island of Kauai. 

On the evening of the second day after leaving Oahu, Moi- 
keha anchored his canoes in a roadstead not far from Kapaa, 
Kauai, where Puna, the governing alii of the island, held his 
court, surrounded by the chiefs of his family and a large num- 
ber of retainers. Puna was one of the most popular rulers in the 
group, and, strict as he may have been in the exercise of his pre- 
rogatives, was always merciful in dealing with offences thought- 
lessly or ignorantly committed. He would pardon the humble 
laborer who might inadvertently cross his shadow or violate a 
tabu, but never the chief who deliberately trespassed upon his 
privileges or withheld a courtesy due to his rank. His disposi- 
tion was naturally warlike, but as the condition of the island was 
peaceful, and military force was seldom required except in repel- 
ling occasional plundering raids from the other islands, he kept 
alive the martial spirit of his chiefs and subjects by frequent 
sham fights, marine drills, and the encouragement of athletic 
games and friendly contests at arms, in which he himself some- 
times took part. Feasting and dancing usually followed these 



THE TRIPLE MARRIAGE OF LAA-MAI-KAHIKI. 125 

warlike pastimes, and the result was that the court of Puna be- 
came somewhat noted for the chivalry of its chiefs and the 
splendor of its entertainments. 

Puna had but one child, a daughter named Hooipo. Tradi- 
tion describes her as having been, like the most of royal daugh- 
ters painted by the poets, a very comely maiden. She was there- 
fore the pride and glory of the court, and as she grew to a mar- 
riageable age her favor was sought by a number of aspiring chiefs 
whose rank entitled them to consideration ; but, flattered by the 
contest for her smiles, and naturally vain of a face which the un- 
ruffled waters told her was attractive, she evinced no haste in 
making choice of a husband. 

This tardiness or indecision was but very gently rebuked by 
Puna. Although one tradition gives him two daughters, Hooipo 
was doubtless his only child, and he was therefore indisposed to 
hasten an event which would probably lead to their separation. 
But, as time passed, the suitors of the young chiefess became so 
persistent, and the rivalry for her assumed so bitter and warlike 
an aspect, that Puna deemed it prudent for her to restore har- 
mony among the rivals by making a choice at once. But for no 
one of them did she seem to entertain a decided preference, and 
therefore suggested that, since a choice must be made, she was 
willing to leave it to the arbitrament of such manly contest be- 
tween the rivals as might comport with their dignity and the 
character of the prize at stake. Puna eagerly accepted the sug- 
gestion, as it opened the way to a selection without incurring the 
enmity of all but the one chosen. 

But what should be the nature of the contest ? Each of the 
rival chiefs was probably noted for his skill in some especial ac- 
complishment, and the difficulty was in naming a trial that would 
seem to be just to all. Unable to decide the matter himself. 
Puna appealed to the high-priest, and the next day announced 
that his palaoa — a talisman consisting of a whale's tooth, carved 
and sanctified — would be sent by a trusty messenger to the little 
island of Kaula ; that four days thereafter the rival chiefs should, 
each in his own canoe, start at the same time and place from 
Kauai, and the one who returned with the palaoa, which the mes- 
senger would be instructed to give to the first of the contesting 
chiefs to land and claim it on the rocks of Kaula, should be the 
husband of Hooipo, and the others must remain his friends. 



126 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

The size of the canoes was left to the discretion of the several 
contestants, but as no more than four assistants would be allowed 
to each, very large canoes^ of course, would not be used. Any 
means of speed might be employed, including oars, paddles and 
sails. 

The contest was admitted to be as fair as any that could be 
devised, and the rival chiefs declared themselves satisfied with it, 
and began to prepare for the race by securing suitable canoes 
and skilful and stalwart assistants. It promised to be an excit- 
ing contest, and the whole of Kapaa was on tiptoe to witness the 
start. 

After a few days of preparation the messenger of Puna was 
despatched with i\\Q palaoa to Kaula, with instructions to place it 
in the hands of the first of the contesting chiefs to claim it on 
that island. The messenger had been gone two days, and had 
probably reached his destination, as the distance to be travelled 
was but little more than a hundred miles, and the rival chiefs 
had everything in readiness to bend their sails for Kaula, when 
Moikeha, as already stated, anchored his fleet in the evening off 
Kapaa. 

Early next morning, with his double canoe flying the stan- 
dard of his rank and otherwise becomingly dressed, Moikeha 
went ashore, where he was cordially received by the chiefs of 
the district, and in due time escorted to the sovereign mansion 
and presented to Puna. Without referring to his family connec- 
tions, he simply announced that he was a chief from the distant 
land of Kahiki, and was traveling through the Hawaiian group 
on a tour of observation and pleasure. He wore a i?taro fringed 
with shells, a ki/iei or mantle of finely-woven and decorated cloth, 
and on his head a lei-alii of brilliant feathers, while from his 
neck was suspended by a cord of plaited hair a curious orna- 
ment of mother-of-pearl set in ivory. He was a handsome rep- 
resentative of savage manhood, and his bearing was dignified, 
correct and courtly. 

During his audience with Puna, Moikeha met Hooipo — most 
likely by accident, but he was so charmed by her bright eyes 
that he did not leave the mansion until he found occasion to 
exchange a few pleasant words with her. They seemed to be 
mutually pleased with each other, and Moikeha accepted the in- 
vitation of the chief to consider himself his guest until the next 



THE TRIPLE MARRIAGE OF LAA-MAI-KAHIKI. \ 27 

day, at the same time allowing him to send fresh provisions to 
his people, whose canoes had been drawn up on the beach. 

A brilliant entertainment of feasting, music and dancing in 
honor of the distinguished stranger followed in the evening, 
during which Moikeha was favored with the companionship of 
Hooipo, and learned of the contest about to take place between 
the rival chiefs of Kauai to determine to whom she should be 
given in marriage. 

Hilarity and feasting were the order of the next day and 
evening, for on the morning following the contesting chiefs were 
to start for Kaula under the eye of Puna. Their well-equipped 
canoes were on the beach, and their crews, drilled to work sail 
and oar together, were in readiness. 

Morning came, and with it a large concourse of people to 
witness the departure of the chiefs. The canoes and their at- 
tending crews were examined, and many wagers laid on the re- 
sult of the race. Finally the contesting chiefs made their ap- 
pearance, followed shortly after by Puna and the most of his 
household, including Hooipo, who was conveyed to the beach in 
a manele borne on the shoulders of four stout attendants. She 
was attired in an embroidered pan — a short skirt of five thick- 
nesses of thin kapa cloth reaching to the knees — and a cape or 
short mantle trimmed with feathers. Her hair was braided in a 
single strand at the back ; her head and neck were adorned with 
leis of flowers and feathers, and her limbs were ornamented with 
circlets of shells and tinted seeds. 

Everything being in readiness, the contending chiefs, eight in 
number, appeared before the alii-nid, and, bowing low, proceed- 
ed in turn to recite their kuaukaus, or genealogies, as they had 
been called upon to do, to show in a formal manner that all their 
strains were noble. As each concluded he again bowed, giving 
Hooipo a smile and look of confidence, and stepped back to 
await the signal of departure. 

The last of them had given his pedigree, the terms of the 
contest had again been announced in form by a herald, and 
Puna was about to order the simultaneous launching of the 
canoes, when Moikeha, whose presence had not before been ob- 
served by the chiefs, suddenly presented himself before the alii- 
nui, and, bowing first to him and then courteously to the chiefs, 
said : 



128 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

" Great chief, as this trial seems to be free to all of noble 
blood, I accept the terms, and ask permission to present myself 
as a contestant for the prize." 

The chiefs exchanged glances of surprise, and a pleased ex- 
pression lighted up the face of Hooipo, who until that moment 
had manifested but little interest in what was transpiring around 
her. 

Puna hesitated a moment, and then graciously replied : 

" Noble stranger, if your rank is level with the conditions, 
and the chiefs now ready for departure urge no objection, my 
consent will not be withheld." 

A hurried consultation among the chiefs showed that some 
of them objected ; but as the stranger, with no knowledge of the 
coast and apparently no canoe or crew in readiness, did not seem 
to be a competitor to be feared, it was finally agreed that, should 
he be able to establish his rank, which a few of them doubted, 
he might be admitted to the contest. 

This resolution having been communicated, Moikeha grace- 
fully bowed his thanks, and then began to recite his genealogy. 
Curious to learn the strain of the courtly stranger, the chiefs 
pressed around him, eagerly listening to every word. He began 
with Wakea, away back in the past, when his ancestors were resi- 
dents of other lands referred to in Hawaiian story. Giving the 
record of thirteen generations, he brought the connection down 
to Nanamaoa, the pioneer of the first migratory influx to the Ha- 
waiian group seven hundred years before. Thence, generation 
by generation, naming father, mother and heir, he traced down a 
line of sixteen successors to Maweke. Pausing a moment, while 
a look of surprise and wonder was exchanged by the listening 
chiefs, Moikeha continued : 

" Maweke the husband, 

" Naiolaukea the wife ; 

" Mulielealii the husband, 

" Wehelani the wife ; 

" Moikeha the husband, 

" Hooipo the wife." 

Applause followed this announcement by the stranger that he 
was the son of Mulielealii, the alii-nui of Oahu, and the jesting 
and good-natured manner in which he concluded the kuauhau 
by predicting his success in the coming contest, and marriage 



THE TRIPLE MARRIAGE OF LAA-AIAI-KAHIKI. 129 

with Hooipo, made him no enemies among the competing chiefs. 
Hooipo was now sure that she could make a choice without the 
trouble and excitement of a race to Kaula ; but the canoes were 
ready, and all she could do was to hope and i)ray that Moikeha 
would bring back the palaoa. 

But what were Moikeha's preparations for the race ? When 
asked by Puna, he pointed to a small canoe with an outrigger 
drawn up on the beach, and a single long-haired man of strange 
aspect standing motionless beside it with a paddle in his hand. 
Puna shook his head doubtingly, and Hooipo looked disappoint- 
ed. Others who noted the stranger's slim preparations for the 
race imagined that he was treating the contest as a jest ; but he 
announced himself in readiness, and the signal for departure was 
given. 

The chiefs sprang toward the beach, and in a few minutes 
had launched their canoes and passed through the heavy surf, 
when with strong and steady pulling the race began in earnest 
for the open sea. Moikeha alone seemed to be in no haste. He 
took formal leave of Puna, and, noting Hooipo's look of impa- 
tience, smilingly said to her as he turned toward the beach : " I 
will bring back the palaoa ! " The assurance contented her. 
The other canoes were beyond the surf, but she believed him and 
was happy. 

Satisfying himself that the sail was ready for use and every- 
thing required for the voyage aboard, Moikeha and his assistant 
shoved their canoe into the water, and with a few vigorous strokes 
of their paddles dashed through the surf. The passage was so 
adroitly made as to attract the attention of the many who wit- 
nessed it from the shore. For a few minutes the canoe remained 
almost motionless, except as it was tossed from wave to wave. 
Then the sail was spread. This movement was unaccountable 
to those on shore, for the little wind stirring was directly from 
the west, to which point the canoe was bearing for an offing to 
round the southern capes of the island. But if the witnesses 
were surprised at the spreading of a sail under such circum- 
stances, they were little less than astounded when they saw the 
sail fill with wind and the canoe suddenly speed out to sea as if 
driven by a hurricane. 

Moikeha's long-haired compa'iion was Laamaomao, god of 
the winds, who had accompanied him from Raiatea. Behind the 



I 30 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 

sail sat the friendly deity, from whose exhaustless ipu of impri- 
soned winds a gale was sent forth which carried the canoe to 
Kaula before daylight the next morning. -Effecting a landing 
soon after sunrise, Puna's messenger was found, and at once de- 
livered to Moikeha the palaoa, which he had been instructed to 
surrender to the chief first demanding it. Content in the posses- 
sion of the talisman, Moikeha and his companion remained on 
the island for refreshment until past midday, and then started on 
their return to Kauai, favored by the same winds that had borne 
them to Kaula, but proceeding with less haste. Toward night 
the eight other chiefs landed within a few hours of each other, 
and great was their astonishment on learning that the palaoa 
had been delivered to a chief claiming it early that morning. 

" He must have had wings," said one of them. 

" He was surely helped by the gods," suggested another, who 
had been the first to land after Moikeha. " But for that the 
palaoa would have been mine, as you all know. But who can 
struggle with the gods ? Let us not incur their anger by com- 
plaint." 

As it was easy for the others to reconcile themselves to Moi- 
keha's success, good-humor was soon restored, and the next 
morning, in company with the messenger, they all re-embarked 
for Kauai. On the evening of the same day Moikeha landed at 
Kapaa, and hastened to place in the hands of Puna the talisman 
which made him the husband of Hooipo. Now assured of the 
rank of the victor, Puna was gratified at his success, and Hooipo 
made no disguise of her joy. Tradition says she fell in love 
with the handsome stranger on first beholding him ; but be that 
as it may, when he returned from Kaula with \.\\q palaoa she was 
frank enough to confess that his success had made her happy. 

In the course of a few days all of the defeated chiefs returned 
to Kapaa, and Moikeha invited them to a feast, over which they 
forgot their rivalry and renewed the pledges of friendship em- 
braced in the terms and made a condition of the contest. They 
sought by many ingenious ways to draw from Moikeha the se- 
cret of his success ; but he failed to enlighten them, and they 
were compelled to content themselves with the belief that he had 
been assisted by some supernatural power, possibly by Apukohai, 
the great fish-god of Kauai, who sometimes seized canoes and 
bore them onward with almost incredible velocity. 



THE TRIPLE MARRIAGE OF LAA-MAI-KAHIKI. 13I 

In due time Hooipo became the wife of Moikeha, who, on the 
death of Puna, succeeded him as the alii-nui of Kauai, where he 
remained to the end of his life. He was blessed with a number 
of sons, through one of whom, it may be mentioned, the sove- 
reignty of the island was continued in the family after Moikeha 
was laid under the black kapa. 



III. 



Tradition next refers to Moikeha about twenty-five years 
after his marriage with Hooipo. The death of Puna had left 
him the sovereignty of Kauai, and his principal residence was 
at Waialua. He had seven sons, and his court, like that of his 
predecessor, was noted for the distinguished chiefs, priests, pro- 
phets and poets connected with it. 

As the life of Moikeha was drawing to a close a strong desire 
possessed him to see once more his foster-son Laa, whom, on his 
departure from Raiatea, he had left with his brother Olopana, 
whose presumptive heir and successor the young chief had be- 
come. In preparation for a journey thither he ordered a num- 
ber of large double canoes to be repaired and put in order for 
the open sea, and had some time before despatched a large party 
of hunters to the cliffs along the coast for the feathers of the 
?namo, from which to fabricate a royal mantle for the ward of 
his youth. 

As but a single small yellow feather of the kind used in a 
royal mantle is found under each wing of the nianio, the task 
of securing the many thousands required was by no means a 
brief or easy service ; but in time the feathers were gathered 
and the cloak was completed. As the choicest feathers alone 
were used, the garment was one of the most brilliant and elabo- 
rate ever made on Kauai, and represented the labor of a hun- 
dred persons for a year. 

But when everything was in readiness for his departure for 
the south, Moikeha concluded that he was too old and feeble 
to undertake the voyage. In this conclusion he was sustained 
by the auguries of the prophets and the persuasion of his sons-. 



132 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

His third son was Kila. He was distinguished for his capacity 
and courage, and especially for his skill as a navigator, and it was 
finally decided that he should make the journey to Raiatea as the 
messenger of Moikeha, and invite Laa to revisit the Hawaiian 
group, assuring him of the feeble health of his foster-father and 
of his anxiety to embrace him before death separated them for ever. 

Kila was delighted with the mission. For several years inter- 
course between the Hawaiian and southern groups had been al- 
most completely suspended, but from boyhood his dreams had 
been of visits to the far-off and misty shores of Kahiki, of which 
he had heard Moikeha speak ; and now that an opportunity was 
presented for gratifying his appetite for adventure in unknown 
seas, his joy was boundless, and so vigorously did he push the 
work of preparation that in a few days the canoes were equipped 
and provisioned for the voyage. The provisions consisted, in 
long voyages of that period, of dried fish, dried bananas and 
plantains, cocoanuts, yams and potatoes, with /i?/ and /i^/a/, fresh 
fruits and cooked fowls and pigs, for early consumption. Large 
calabashes of fresh water were also provided, but frequent baths 
largely diminished the craving for that necessity. 

Sacrifices were offered, the auguries were pronounced favor- 
able, and the fleet of double canoes set sail for the south. Kila 
was accompanied by three of his brothers, and, more important 
still, by the venerable Kamahualele, the friend and astrologer of 
Moikeha, who had borne him company from Raiatea more than 
a quarter of a century before, and chanted his inspired visions of 
the future off the coast of Kau. He went as Kila's chief naviga- 
tor and especial counsellor. 

The fleet passed through the group and took its final depart- 
ure from the most southern point of the island of Hawaii. Wind 
and weather were both favorable, and without a mishap of conse- 
quence the expedition arrived in due time at Raiatea, first touch- 
ing for guidance at some of the other islands of the southern 
group. 

Kila landed at Opoa through the sacred entrance of Avamoa. 
His flag and state were recognized by Olopana, who was still 
living, and the sons of Moikeha and their personal attendants 
were ceremoniously conducted to the royal mansion, where Kila 
made known the purpose of his visit. Olopana was greatly in- 
terested in the story of Moikeha's successful establishment on 



THE TRIPLE MARRIAGE OF LAA-MAI-KAHIKI. I 33 

Kauai, but refrained from referring to the circumstances which 
led to their separation many years before. He was also in- 
formed of the death of his father, Mulielealii, and the succes- 
sion of his brother Kumuhonua to the rank and authority of 
ulii-nui of Oahu. 

With the affectionate greetings of Moikeha, Kila presented to 
Laa the brilliant mamo, or royal mantle, of which he was made 
the bearer, and expressed the hope that he would comfort the 
few remaining days of his foster-father by returning with him on 
a visit to Kauai. Olopana strongly objected to the proposed 
journey, urging his advanced years and the probability of his 
early death ; but when assured by Laa of his speedy return he 
reluctantly consented, and after a round of hospitable feasts and 
entertainments, in his own double canoes, and attended by his 
priest, astrologer, master of ceremonies, musicians, and a number 
of knightly and noble friends, Laa accompanied Kila and his 
party back to Hawaii. 

The voyage was made in good time, and as the combined 
fleet, with canoes of royal yellow and pennons flying, coursed 
through the group to Kauai, stopping at several points to ex- 
change courtesies with the ruling chiefs, it attracted unusual 
attention ; and when Laa landed at Waialua, on the island of 
Oahu, to greet his relatives, and the people learned that the son 
of Ahukai had returned from the distant land of Kahiki rich in 
honors and possessions, they strewed his path with flowers and 
welcomed him as if he were a god. 

Proceeding to Kauai, after a brief stay at Waialua, Laa was 
affectionately received by Moikeha, his foster-father, who had 
left him a child in Kahiki, and for a month or more the Kauaian 
court blazed nightly with feasts and festivals given in his honor. 

Returning to Oahu, Laa took up his residence for a time at 
Kualoa. A large mansion was constructed for him, with ample 
accommodations for his friends and retainers, and the chiefs of 
the island esteemed it an honor to share his friendship and ac- 
cept his hospitality. 

There was no jealousy of Laa, for it was known that he would 
soon return to Raiatea, there to permanently remain as the heir 
and successor of Olopana. In his veins ran the noblest blood 
of Oahu. He was the son of the great-grandson of the great 
Paumakua in direct and unchallenged descent, and the adopted 



134 ^^^ LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

heir of the grandson of Maweke, the proud descendant of the 
Nanaula dynasty of kings. 

It was not deemed well that the line of Paumakua, through 
so distinguished a representative as Laa, should be perpetuated 
solely on a foreign soil. From a suggestion the matter came to- 
be seriously discussed by the leading chiefs, and finally Laa was 
approached on the subject. Being a young man, the patriotic 
proposal of the chiefs very naturally accorded with his tastes,, 
and, without great persuasion, he expressed a willingness to com- 
ply with what seemed to be a general request. 

But the approval of Laa did not quite settle the dehcate ques- 
tion, as the chiefs at once observed on casting around for a suit- 
able wife for so desirable a husband. The most of them had 
daughters or sisters of eligible rank and age. But which one of 
them should they select ? Whose family should be so honored ?• 
They were willing to leave the choice to Laa, but, sagaciously 
anticipating the result, he declined to make the selection. 

As usual in momentous cases of doubt, the high-priest was. 
consulted, and the matter was settled in a manner quite satisfac- 
tory to Laa. It was agreed that he should marry three wives, 
all on the same day, and the maidens selected were Hoakanui, 
daughter of Lonokaehu, of Kualoa ; Waolena, daughter of a chief 
of Kaalaea ; and Mano, daughter of a chief of Kaneohe. All 
were noted for their beauty and distinguished blood. 

The three brides were brought to the mansion of Laa, at 
Kualoa, on the day fixed for the triple marriage, and the event 
was celebrated with splendor and enthusiasm. The hoao, or 
marriage agreement, was made public by a herald, as was then 
the custom among the nobility ; the brides, attired becomingly 
and decked with garlands, were delivered in form to the bride- 
groom, and in the evening a feast was served on the grounds to 
more than a thousand guests, with hula, viele, and other festive- 
accompaniments, including mele-tnoas, or songs of personal appli- 
cation to the new wives and their husband. 

This triple marriage is one of the most thoroughly-established 
incidents of remote Hawaiian tradition. After his marriage Laa 
remained a year at Kualoa, and then began to prepare for his. 
return to Raiatea. He looked forward to his departure with 
mingled feelings of regret and satisfaction, for his brief married 
life had been singularly as well as most bountifully blessed. On. 



THE TRIPLE MARRIAGE OF LAA-MAI-KAHIKI. 1 35 

the same day he had been presented with a son by each of his 
three wives, and an ancient chant thus refers to the event : 

" O Ahukai, O Laa-a, O Laa, 
O Laa from Kahiki, the chief ; 
O Ahukini-a-Laa, 
O Kukona-a-Laa, 
O Lauli-a-Laa, the father 
The triple canoe of Laa-mai-kahiki, 
The sacred first-born children of Laa, 
Who were born on the same one day." 

Moikeha died soon after, and Laa bade farewell to the Ha- 
waiian Islands and returned to Raiatea just in time to receive 
the dying blessing of Olopana. As he had promised, he left his 
three wives and their sons in Oahu, where they were well cared 
for. The names of the children, as mentioned in the chant quot- 
ed, were Ahukini-a-Laa, Kukona-a-Laa, and Lauli-a-Laa, from 
whom it was in after-generations the pride and glory of the gov- 
erning families of Oahu and Kauai to trace their lineage. From 
Ahukini-a-Laa Queen Kapiolani, wife of Kalakaua, the present 
sovereign of the islands, is recorded in descent through a line of 
Kauaian chiefs and kings. 

Kila, after his return from Raiatea, established himself in the 
valley of Waipio, on the island of Hawaii, and became prosper- 
ous in the possessions abandoned by his uncle Olopana a gene- 
ration before. He was the ancestor of several prominent Ha- 
waiian families, who traced their descent to him as late as during 
the reign of Kamehameha I. 

With the return of Laa to Raiatea all communication between 
the Hawaiian and southern groups seems to have abruptly ter- 
minated, and for a period of about six hundred years, or until 
the arrival of Captain Cook in 1778, the Hawaiians learned no- 
thing of the great world beyond their little archipelago, and knew 
that lands existed elsewhere only through the mysterious mooole- 
Jos of their priests, and a folk-lore consisting of broken chains of 
fables and tales of the past in which the supernatural had finally 
become the dominant feature. , 



The Apotheosis of Pele. 



CHARACTERS. 
Pele, goddess of the volcanoes. 

MOHO, J 

Kamakaua and I brothers of Pele. 
Kanehekili, ; 

Kalana, a chief from the southern islands. 
Kamaunui, wife of Kalana. 
HiNA, daughter of Kalana and Kamaunui. 
Olopana, chief of Oahu and husband of Hina. 
Kahikiula, brother of Olopana. 
Kamapuaa, the monster son of Hina. 
138 



THE APOTHEOSIS OF PELE. 

THE ADVENTURES OF THE GODDESS WITH KAMAPUAA. 
I. 

IN the pantheon of ancient Hawaiian worship — or, rather, of 
the worship of the group from the twelfth century to the 
nineteenth — the deity most feared and respected, especially on 
the island of Hawaii, was the goddess Pele. She was the queen 
of fire and goddess of volcanoes, and her favorite residence was 
the vast and ever-seething crater of Kilauea, beneath whose molt- 
en flood, in halls of burning adamant and grottoes of fire, she 
consumed the offerings of her worshippers and devised destruc- 
tion to those who long neglected her or failed to respect her 
prerogatives. 

Her assistants and companions, as related by tradition, were 
her five brothers and eight sisters, all of them clothed with espe- 
cial functions, and all but little less merciless and exacting than 
Pele herself. The first in authority under Pele was Moho, king 
of steam. The others were charged, respectively, with the duties 
of creating explosions, thunders and rains of fire, moving and 
keeping the clouds in place, breaking canoes, fighting with spears 
of flame, hurling red-hot masses of lava, and doing whatever else 
the goddess commanded. 

As the family claimed tribute of the entire island of Hawaii, 
to receive it they frequently visited the active and extinct craters 
of other districts, and earthquakes heralded their departure from 
Kilauea. The temples of Pele were numerous, particularly in 
the neighborhood of old lava-flows, and their priests were always 
well sustained. The crater of Kilauea was especially sacred to 
the goddess, and the earth around it could not be safely dis- 
turbed. An offering was first made of a part of everything 
eaten there, and fruits, pigs, fowls, fish, and sometimes human 
beings, were thrown into the crater to appease the wrath of the 
goddess and avert a threatened overflow. 

The Pele family was neither connected with, nor controlled 

•39 



140 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

by, the supreme gods of Hawaiian worship, nor was it a part 
either of the ancient or later theocracy of the group, as brought 
down by the priesthood of Hika-paloa, the godhead and trinity 
of original creation. It was an indigenous and independent 
development of the twelfth century, until which period the fam- 
ily was unknown on Hawaii ; and the strong hold it secured and 
for centuries maintained in the native heart was due partly to a 
popular faith in, and worship of, the spirits of departed chiefs 
and ancestors, and partly to the continued and ever- visible evi - 
dences of the power and malignity of the volcanic deities. And 
so, indeed, was it with the many other deities of Hawaiian ado- 
ration. While Kane was deemed the creator and undoubted 
superior of them all, they were seldom restrained in the exer- 
cise of their several functions, and individual appeals to them 
through their priests were necessary to secure their favor or 
placate their wrath. 

With this brief reference to the worship and attributes of the 
terrible goddess and her family, the story of their mortal lives 
will now be told, and a plain relation given of the strange events 
which led to their apotheosis. Every tradition refers to them 
as deities at the time of their arrival at Hawaii and occupation 
of Kilauea, and all abound in marvellous tales of their exploits, 
the most wonderful being connected with the Oahuan warrior 
Kamapuaa, one of the lovers of Pele, who was transformed by 
the bards into a supernatural monster — a being half-man and 
half-hog — with powers almost equal to those of Pele herself. A 
careful analysis, however, of the various tnooolelos of Pele and 
her family renders it plain that they came to the group as sim- 
ple human beings, and as human beings lived and died, as did 
also Kamapuaa, and that superstition subsequently elevated their 
mortal deeds to the realms of supernatural achievement. 

The Pele family came to Hawaii during the reign of Ka- 
miole, the usurper, from one of the southern islands — probably 
Samoa — in about the year a.d. 1175. It was of chiefly blood, 
and also of priestly lineage, and, to escape the penalties of de- 
feat, had, at the close of a long and disastrous war, fled north- 
ward and found a home on Hawaii. The head of the family 
had fallen in battle, and Moho, the eldest of the sons, assumed 
the direction of what remained of the once powerful household. 

The fugitives first landed at Honuapo, in the district of Kau, 



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THE APOTHEOSIS OF PELE. I4I 

but, finding no lands there available, coasted along to the south- 
ern shores of Puna, and finally located in the valleys back of 
Keauhou, among the foothills of Mauna Loa, including the cra- 
ter of Kilauea. A few miles to the westward an overflow had 
reached the sea the year before, and as the volcano was still 
active, and earthquakes were of frequent occurrence in the 
neighborhood, the valleys had been deserted, and the new-com- 
ers who boldly settled there were soon spoken of as being under 
the especial protection of the gods, since they seemed to fear 
neither earthquakes nor threatened inundations of fire. Under 
the circumstances almost everything they did was credited to 
supernatural agencies, and it was not long before Pele, Moho 
and Kamakaaa — the three most influential members of the little 
community — were regarded as kahunas of unusual sanctity and 
power. 

The Pele family proper consisted, at that time, of Pele, her 
two brothers, Moho and Kamakaua, and a younger sister named 
Ulolu, who was after her apotheosis known as Hiiaka-ika-pali-o- 
pele. With them, however, were a number of relatives — princi- 
pally females, whose protectors had perished in the struggle pre- 
ceding their departure from Samoa — and about thirty attendants. 
The brothers were large, stalwart men, who had distinguished 
themselves in arms in their native land, and their attendants 
were warriors of tried courage and capacity. From these com- 
panions and assistants were created the three additional brothers 
and seven sisters of Pele mentioned in the meles of the bards. 
One of the former — Kanehekili — is said to have been a hunch- 
back, as was also Kamakaua, but the fighting qualities of neither 
seem to have been impaired by the deformity. 

Pele was as courageous as she was personally attractive. She 
had taken an active part in the wars of her father, and with her 
own hand had slain a chief who attempted to abduct her. Her 
brothers were devoted to her, and her bright eyes and queenly 
presence commanded the respect and homage of all who ap- 
proached her. 

And now, cultivating their lands in the valleys back of Keau- 
hou, and living contentedly and without fear of molestation, we 
will leave the little colony for a time and refer to another im- 
portant character in the story we are telling — Kamapuaa, the 
traditional monster of Oahu, whose deeds so aggrandize the 



142 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

folk-lore of that island. In some meles he is depicted as a hog 
with a human head, and in others as a being with a human form 
and head of a hog ; but in all he is described as a monster of 
prodigious bulk and malicious and predatory propensities. 

II. 

Glancing back a half-century or more before the landing of 
the Pale family in Puna, we note the arrival in the group of a 
number of independent parties of immigrants or adventurers 
from the southern islands. Among them were the chiefs Ka- 
lana and Huma. They came with considerable of a following, 
including the beautiful Kamaunui and a few of her relatives. 
The party landed on the island of Maui, and, after some wan- 
dering and change of locations, finally settled in Waihee, a spot 
noted for its beauty and natural advantages. Huma loved the 
fair Kamaunui. He had whispered soft words to her on their 
long journey from Kahiki, and fed her with the choicest food to 
be found among the stores of his great double canoe ; but she 
loved Kalana better, and, when she became his wife, Huma 
abruptly left Waihee, returning, it is supposed, to his native land. 

The only child of this marriage was Hina, who on reaching 
womanhood became the wife of Olopana, a chief of the island 
of Oahu. Although of the same name, he was in nowise related 
to the Olopana who was the brother of Moikeha and grandson of 
Maweke. This chief had arrived from the south a few years be- 
fore his marriage with Hina, and, with his younger brother, Ka- 
hikiula, settled in Koolau, or on the Koolau side of the island of 
Oahu, where he had acquired very considerable possessions. By 
what chance he met Hina, or through what influence he won her, 
tradition does not mention, but as his wife she went with him to 
Oahu, and there remained. 

Hina was fair, and Kahikiula, unlike his brother, was young 
and handsome. They were happy in the society of each other, 
and were therefore much together. She went with him to the 
hills for wild fruits and berries, and he followed her to the sea- 
shore to gather shells and limpets. The jealousy of Olopana 
was at last aroused, and when Hina presented him with a son he 
charged Kahikiula with its paternity and refused to accept the 
child as his own. This estranged the brothers and made the lot 
of Hina miserable. 



THE APOTHEOSIS OF FELE. 1 43 

From its birth Olopana disliked the child, and in his resent- 
ment named it Kamapuaa, signifying a hog-child, or child of a 
hog. As the infant showed no marked physical characteristics 
of that animal, it is probable that Olopana fastened upon it the 
graceless appellation in a spirit of retaliation. But, whatever may 
have prompted its bestowal, the child certainly bore the name 
through life, thus giving to the bards who chanted the story of 
his acts the cue and pretext for shaping him into the monster de- 
picted by tradition. 

Having no love for Kamapuaa, Olopana took little interest in 
his groAVth from year to year to the mighty manhood which he 
finally attained, and which excited the admiration of all others. 
The more Kamapuaa was praised the greater dislike did Olopana 
feel for him, and at length the presence of the young giant be- 
came so obnoxious to him that he ordered him, under penalty of 
death, to leave the district. 

Failing to understand the cause of this unnatural hatred, the 
anger of Kamapuaa was at last aroused, and he strode away from 
the home of his youth with his heart filled with bitterness and 
vows of vengeance. As he left, Kahikiula presented him with a 
long and finely-finished spear tipped with bone, and his mother 
threw over his broad shoulders the feather cape of a chief, and 
hung around his neck dipalaoa, or talisman carved from the tooth 
of some great animal of the sea. 

Kamapuaa knew of a large cavern in the hills some miles dis- 
tant from Koolau, the name by which will be designated the 
place of his birth, and thither he repaired and took up his resi- 
dence. He led a wild, predatory life, and was soon joined by 
others as reckless as himself, until the party numbered fifty or 
sixty in all. Made bolder by this following, Kamapuaa began 
to harass the estates of Olopana. He stole his pigs, fowls and 
fruits, and whatever else his little band required, and delighted 
in breaking his nets, cutting adrift his canoes and robbing his 
fish-ponds. In a spirit of youthful bravado he had his body, 
from his loins upward, tattooed in black, shaved his head and 
beard to the resemblance of bristles, and hung from his shoulders 
a short mantle of tanned hog-skin, the hair being left to be worn 
on the outer side. In this guise his name did not seem to be 
altogether inappropriate, and he was pleased at the terror his ap- 
pearance inspired. 



144 ^-^-^ LEGENDS AA-n MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

Becoming still bolder, Kamapuaa resolved to inaugurate a 
more vigorous warfare upon Olopana, and began to cut down his 
cocoanut-trees and destroy his growing crops. This brought the 
matter to a crisis, as such acts were always regarded as a declara- 
tion of war. The depredations of Kamapuaa were invariably 
committed at night, and it was some time before the real aggres- 
sors were discovered. Koolau was filled with stories of the ma- 
rauding exploits of a lawless band, led by a monster half-man 
and half-hog, and the kahunas were called upon to ascertain the 
character of the spoilers, and, if found to be supernatural, pla- 
cate them with sacrifices. 

While the kilos were plying their arts the mystery was sud- 
denly solved in a more practical manner. Detected one night in 
destroying the walls of one of 'Olopana's fish-ponds, Kamapuaa 
and a number of his party were secretly followed to their hiding- 
place in the hills. This information was brought to Olopana, 
and he promptly equipped a small force of warriors to follow 
and capture or destroy the plundering band, which, he was en- 
raged beyond all measure in learning, was under the leadership 
of his outcast son or nephew, Kamapuaa. 

But the task of capturing or destroying Kamapuaa and his 
band was by no means an easy one. Of the party first sent to 
attack them in their mountain stronghold all were killed with the 
exception of a single warrior, and he was allowed to return to 
tell the tale of the slaughter and take to Olopana the defiance of 
Kamapuaa. 

This satisfied the chief that Kamapuaa's purpose was rebel- 
lion as well as pillage, and a force of six hundred warriors was 
organized and sent against the outlaws. This forced Kamapuaa 
to change his tactics, and, leaving their retreat, in which they 
might have been surrounded and brought to submission by fam- 
ine, the rebels retired farther back into the mountains, where 
they for months defied the whole force of Olopana. Frequent 
skirmishes occurred and many lives were lost, but every attempt 
to surround and capture the desperate band was frustrated by 
the dash and sagacity of their leader. 

Once, when closely pursued and pressed against the verge of 
a narrow gorge, the rebels crossed the chasm and escaped tO' 
the other side by some means unknown to their pursuers, and 
the story was told and believed that Kamapuaa, taking the form 



THE APOTHEOSIS OF PELE. 1 45 

of a gigantic hog, had spanned the gorge and given his followers 
speedy passage over his back to the other side, when he leaped 
across at a single bound and escaped with them. The spot 
marking this marvellous achievement is still pointed out at 
Hauula, and the tracks of the monster in the solid rock are 
shown. 

It is difficult to say just how long this desultory fighting con- 
tinued, but in the end the rebels were surrounded and nearly 
destroyed, and Kamapuaa was captured unhurt and delivered 
over to Olopana, to the great joy and relief of the people of 
Koolau. Olopana had erected a heiaii at Kaneohe, where 
Lonoaohi officiated as high-priest, and thither he resolved to 
take his rebellious son or nephew, and offer him as a sacrifice 
to the gods. Hina pleaded for the life of Kamapuaa, but Olo- 
pana could not be moved. Satisfied that he would listen to no 
appeals for mercy, she determined to save her son, even at the 
sacrifice of her husband, and to that end secured the assistance 
of the high-priest, through whose treachery to Olopana the life 
of Kamapuaa was saved. 

On the day fixed for the sacrifice Kamapuaa, carefully bound 
and strongly guarded, was taken to the heiaii^ followed by Olo- 
pana, who was anxious to witness the ghastly ceremonies, and 
with his own eyes see that his troublesome enemy was duly slain 
and his body laid upon the altar. In offering human sacrifices 
the victim was taken without the walls of the heiau and slain 
with clubs by the assistants of the high-priest. The body was 
then brought in and placed upon the altar in front of the en- 
trance to the inner court, or sanctuary, when the left eye was 
removed by the officiating priest, and handed, if he was present, 
to the chief who had ordered the sacrifice. This being done, 
the offering was then ceremoniously made, and the body was 
left upon the altar for the elements to deal with. 

Standing, with three or four attendants, at the door of his 
tabued retreat, within fort)? or fifty paces of the altar, Olopana 
saw his victim preliminarily led to the place of sacrifice, and 
a few minutes after motioned for the ceremonies to begin. 
Kamapuaa was taken without the walls of the temple to be slain. 
He was in charge of three assistant priests, one of them leading 
him by a stout cord around his neck, another keeping closely 
behind him, and the third walking silently at his side with the 



146 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

club of execution in his hand. Passing beyond the outer wall, 
the party entered a small walled enclosure adjoining, and the 
executioner raised his club and brought it down upon the head 
of his victim. Kamapuaa smiled, but did not move. Twice, 
thrice with mighty sweep the club descended upon the head of 
Kamapuaa, but scarcely bent the bristly hairs upon his crown. 

With a semblance of wonder the executioner, whose tender 
blows would have scarcely maimed a mouse, dropped his club 
and said : 

" Three times have I tried and failed to slay him ! The gods 
refuse the sacrifice ! " 

" It is so, it is so, it is so ! " chimed his companions. " The 
gods indeed refuse the sacrifice ! We have seen it ! " 

Therefore, instead of slaying Kamapuaa, the assistants, as 
they had been secretly instructed to do by the high-priest, re- 
moved the cords from his limbs, smeared his hair, face and body 
with the fresh blood of a fowl, and on their shoulders bore him 
back and placed him upon the altar as if dead. 

The high-priest approached the apparently lifeless body, and 
bent for a moment over the face, as if to remove the left eye ; 
then placing on a wooden tray the eye of a large hog, which had 
been procured for that purpose, he sent an assistant with it to 
Olopana, at the same time retiring within the inner court, and 
leaving by the side of Kamapuaa, and near his right hand, as if 
by accident, the sharp ivory pahoa, or dagger, with which he 
had, to all appearance, been operating. 

Giving but a single glance at the eye presented to him by the 
assistant of the high-priest, Olopana passed it to an attendant 
without the customary semblance of eating it, and approached 
the altar alone. Kamapuaa did not breathe. His face was 
streaked with blood, his eyelids were closed, and not a single 
muscle moved to indicate life. 

Olopana looked at the hated face for a moment, and then ■ 
turned to leave the heiau, not caring to witness the ceremonies 
of the formal offering. As he did so Kamapuaa clutched the 
dagger beside his hand, and, springing from the altar, drove the 
blade into the back of Olopana. Again and again he applied 
the weapon until the chief, with a groan of anguish, fell dead at 
the feet of his slayer. 

Horrified at what they beheld, the attendants of Olopana 



THE APOTHEOSIS OF PELE. 1 47 

sprang toward their fallen chief. But their movements, what- 
ever their import, did not disturb Kamapuaa. He had been 
accustomed to meeting and accepting odds in battle, and when 
he had secured possession of the ihe and huge axe of stone con- 
veniently placed for his use behind the altar, he boldly ap- 
proached and invited an encounter. 

But the challenge was not accepted. The attendants of the 
chief did not ordinarily lack courage, but they were unnerved 
at the sight of a victim, slain, mutilated and laid upon the altar 
by the priest, coming to life and springing to his feet full-armed 
before his enemies. 

Appearing upon the scene, the high-priest expressed great 
surprise and horror at what had occurred, and his assistants 
wildly clamored at the sacrilege ; but no hand was laid upon 
Kamapuaa, and the friends of Olopana finally left the keiau, tak- 
ing his body with them. 

This tragedy in the heiau of Kawaewae created a profound 
excitement in the district. Had Kamapuaa been at all popular 
with the masses the death of Olopana at his hands would have 
occasioned but little indignation ; but as many beside the dead 
chief had suffered through his plundering visitations, and hun- 
dreds of lives had been sacrificed in his pursuit and final capture, 
the people rose almost in a body to hunt him down and de- 
stroy him. 

Hina attempted to save her son from the wrath of his 
enemies, but her influence was insufficient to protect him, and 
he again sought refuge in the mountains ; but his following was 
small, and he finally crossed the island, and, with a party of 
forty or fifty reckless and adventurous spirits, set sail for the 
windward islands in a fleet of eight or ten canoes which he 
in some manner obtained from the people of Ewa. 

III. 

More than one tradition avers that Kamapuaa traveled to 
foreign lands after leaving Oahu, even to the lands where the 
sky and sea were supposed to meet ; but he made no such 
journey at that time. He spent some months in sight-seeing 
among the islands southeast of Oahu, and pretty nearly cir- 
cumnavigated them all. Sometimes, for the lack of better occu- 



148 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

pation, he and his companions engaged in the petty wars of the 
districts visited by them ; but they generally led a roving, careless 
life, maintaining peaceful relations with all, and plundering only 
when every other means of securing supplies failed. 

And thus they journeyed from island to island until they 
reached Hawaii. Kamiole, the usurper, had but just been de- 
feated and slain by Kalapana, the son of Kanipahu, the hunch- 
back, and Kohala, where Kamapuaa first landed, was still suf- 
fering from the effects of the war. He therefore proceeded 
southward along the coast, touching at several points in Kona ; 
then rounding the southern cape of the island, he sailed along 
the shores of Kau to Honuapo, where he landed and spent sev- 
eral weeks. 

It was while he was there that Kamapuaa first learned of the 
Pele family in the adjoining district of Puna, and became ac- 
quainted with the many stories of enchantment and sorcery con- 
nected with the little colony. Pele was described to him as a 
woman of unusual personal beauty, and the lands occupied by 
the family and its retainers were said to be secure against lava 
inundations from Kilauea through the especial favor and protec- 
tion of the gods. 

These strange stories interested Kamapuaa, and he resolved 
to satisfy himself of their truth by visiting the mysterious colony. 
He accordingly set sail with his companions for Puna, and, land- 
ing at Keauhou, took up his abode near the sea-shore, not far 
from the lands occupied by Pele and her relatives. 

As the colonists seemed to pay but little attention to the 
new-comers, at the expiration of three or four days Kamapuaa 
concluded to open a way to an acquaintance with them by visit- 
ing their settlement in person, and with a few of his companions 
.•appeared one morning before the comfortable hale of Pele and 
lier family. 

Moho received the strangers courteously, inquired the pur- 
pose of their visit to Keauhou and from what part of the coun- 
try they came, and hospitably invited them to a breakfast of 
meat, potatoes, /(?/ and fruits. The invitation was not declined, 
and during the repast Moho learned from Kamapuaa that he was 
the chief of the party, and that the visit of himself and com- 
panions to Puna had no especial object beyond that of observa- 
tion and pleasure. 



THE APOTHEOSIS OF PELE. 



[49 



The tattooed body and bristly hair and beard of Kamapuaa 
imparted to his otherwise handsome person a strangely ferocious 
and forbidding appearance, and at the mention of his name and 
place of nativity Moho at once recognized in him, from report, 
the monster of Oahu, who had ravaged the estates of Olopana 
and finally assassinated that chief in the heiau of Kawaevvae. 
His presence, therefore, in that part of Puna, was considerably 
less welcome than the words of Moho implied ; but no act of 
the latter indicated a suspicion that the ulterior purposes of his 
visitors were possibly otherwise than peaceful, and when they 
took their departure for the beach it was with mutual assurances 
of friendship. 

But Kamapuaa did not take his leave that morning until he 
saw Pele. He found a pretext for prolonging his visit until she 
finally appeared, and when Moho made them known to each 
other Kamapuaa comported himself with a grace and gallantry 
never before observed in him by his companions. He admitted 
to himself that the reports of Pele's beauty had not been exag- 
gerated, and wondered how it happened that she had remained 
for years unmarried. 

The thought then came to Kamapuaa — perhaps not for the 
first time — that he would marry Pele himself and settle perma- 
nently in Puna. The idea of marriage had seldom occurred to 
him, but after he saw Pele he could think of little else. He 
greatly admired her appearance, and could see no reason why 
she should not be equally well pleased with his. No mirror, save 
the uncertain reflection of the waters, had ever shown him his 
hideously-tattooed face and bristly hair and beard, and the hog- 
skin still worn over his stained shoulders was regarded by him 
as a manly and warlike covering, well calculated to impress with 
favor a woman of Pele's courage and accomplishments. 

But Kamapuaa did not urge his suit at once. He visited 
Moho almost every day for half a month or more, and endeavored 
to render himself agreeable to Pele by sending her baskets of 
choice wild fruits, fish from the sea which women were allowed 
to eat, and strings of beautiful and curious shells gathered from 
the shores and caverns of the coast. He saw her occasionally, 
and observed that she avoided him ; but he attributed her seem- 
ing repugnance to him to a coyishness common to her sex, and 
drew from it no augury unfavorable to his suit. 



150 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

The companions of Kamapuaa soon discovered the attraction 
that was keeping him so long in the neighborhood of Keauhou, 
where food was becoming the reverse of abundant, and urged 
him to return to Honuapo ; but he silenced their clamors with 
promises of good lands and lives of ease in the valleys back of 
them, and they hopefully struggled on with their unsatisfactory 
fare. 

Kamapuaa finally made a proposal of marriage to Pele ; but 
she refused to entertain it, and was promptly and heartily sus- 
tained by her brothers. But a simple refusal did not satisfy 
Kamapuaa. He urged that his blood was noble, and that the 
proposed union was in every way fitting and proper, and would 
prove mutually beneficial. Enraged at his presumption and per- 
sistency, Pele boldly expressed her contempt for him and aver- 
sion to his presence. In return Kamapuaa threatened to seize 
her by force and desolate the colony. Tradition asserts that she 
thereupon defied his power, and denounced him to his face as 
" a hog and the son of a hog." 

But, whatever may have been the precise language used on 
the occasion by Pele, it was sufiiciently definite and insulting 
not only to destroy the last hope of Kamapuaa, but to arouse in 
his heart the bitterest feelings of revenge, and he retired in wrath 
to the beach to plan and speedily execute a terrible scheme of 
retaliation. 

Without referring to his final interview with Pele and her 
brothers, Kamapuaa informed his companions that he was at last 
ready to move — not to Honuapo, however, but to the cultivated 
valleys immediately back of them, occupied by a family of for- 
eign interlopers and their adherents, who recognized the au- 
thority neither of Kalapana nor the governing chief of Puna, 
and might therefore be dispossessed without incurring the re- 
proach or hostility of any power competent to punish. The pro- 
ject pleased them, but they doubted their ability to drive from 
their lands so large a number, the most of whom were doubtless 
skilled in the use of arms. 

But Kamapuaa promised to make the way clear to an easy 
victory. He said he had carefully noted the number of the 
settlers, and observed the places where the most of them lodged. 
His plan was to suddenly fall upon them in the night and mas- 
sacre all the male adherents of the family. This done, they 



THE APOTHEOSIS OF PELE. 151 

would be masters of the situation, and able to treat on their own 
terms with the few who remained. It was proposed to include 
the governing family in the slaughter, but Kamapuaa opposed 
the suggestion, declaring that one of the brothers of Pele was a 
priest of great sanctity, whose death by violence would kindle 
the wrath of the gods ; and his counsel prevailed. 

Several days elapsed without any movement being made. 
Kamapuaa was waiting, not only for a relaxation of the vigilance 
which his incautious threats may have inspired, but for the dark 
of the waning moon. Finally the blow was struck. Under the 
favoring cover of darkness Kamapuaa and his companions left 
the beach and secreted themselves near the scattered huts of the 
settlers, and at a signal, some time past midnight, rose and mas- 
sacred every man within reach of their weapons. But few es- 
caped. The screams of the women, who had been spared, rang 
through the valleys as they fled toward the mansion of Pele and 
her brothers for protection, and the band of murderers returned 
satisfied to the beach. 

It was the purpose of Kamapuaa to surround the home of the 
surviving family the next day, and capture Pele by force, as he 
had threatened, or otherwise bring her and her haughty relatives 
to terms. But, after what had occurred, Moho readily under- 
stood the plans of the assassins, and early next morning aban- 
doned the family cluster of houses, which could not be success- 
fully defended, and sought refuge in a cavern in the hills, about 
three miles up the valley, accompanied by the entire family and 
the few others who had escaped the massacre of the night before. 
There was water in the cavern, and as the fugitives took with 
them a considerable quantity of provisions, and the opening to 
the retreat was small and easily defended, they hoped to be able, 
even if discovered and besieged, to protect themselves until the 
arrival of relief or the abandonment of the siege as hopeless by 
their enemies. 

The cavern was of volcanic formation and had never been 
fully explored. It embraced a number of large connecting 
chambers, with ragged avenues leading back into and up the hill. 
The only light came through the front entrance, into which, from 
the inside, were hastily rolled heavy boulders of lava, found here 
and there detached, leaving openings through which spears and 
javelins could be thrust. A tiny rivulet of water trickled in some- 



152 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

where from the darkness, and, after filling a shallow basin in the 
floor of one of the chambers, ran out through the opening. As air 
came in from the back of the cavern, it must have been connected 
with the surface through some one or more of the dark avenues 
referred to ; but not a glimmer of light, so far as the occupants 
had been able to penetrate the depths, indicated the possibility 
of an escape in that direction should the cavern be rendered un- 
tenable by assault. The party numbered, in all, seven men and 
eighteen women and children, and they had taken to their retreat 
a goodly supply of arms and provisions enough to sustain them 
for some weeks. Thus prepared they gloomily awaited their 
fate. 

But they had fled to the hills not a moment too soon, for 
early in the day Kamapuaa and his companions appeared and 
surrounded the deserted habitations of the family. Discovering 
that his victims had escaped, Kamapuaa promptly divided his 
followers into small parties, and despatched them to the hills in 
search of the fugitives or of traces of their flight. He also joined 
in the search, but went unattended. 

In the course of the day all returned to the deserted huts, 
where they had taken up their quarters, and reported that no 
traces of the missing colonists had been discovered, and the gen- 
eral opinion was that they had escaped across the mountains. 
Kamapuaa waited until all the rest had told the stories of their 
fruitless wanderings, when he announced that he had found what 
they had lacked the sagacity to discover. He informed them 
that the fugitives were secreted in a cavern some distance up one 
of the valleys, where they could be surrounded and captured 
without difficulty ; but he did not mention that he had made the 
discovery by shrewdly following a dog into the hills, and watch- 
ing the animal until it stopped in front of the entrance to the 
cavern. He was willing that his companions should believe that 
his success was due to some inspiration or prescience of his own. 

A guard was immediately detailed to watch the cavern and 
see that no one escaped, and the next day the place was surround- 
ed and formally besieged. Following these preparations, visible 
to Moho and his handful of warriors, Kamapuaa approached 
the entrance sufficiently near to be heard within, and demanded 
the surrender of the party, promising that the lives of all would 
be spared. 



THE APOTHEOSIS OF PELE. I 53 

The demand was refused with words of insult and defiance, 
and Kamapuaa ordered an assault upon the entrance. Several 
attempts were made to force the protecting rocks from the open- 
ing, but their interstices bristled with spear-points, and, after a 
number of the assailants had been wounded, that plan of attack 
was abandoned as impracticable. 

A large quantity of dry wood, leaves and grass was then heap- 
ed in front of the entrance and fired, in the hope of suffocating 
the inmates with the heat and smoke of the conflagration ; but 
the draught of air through the cavern kept the smoke from enter- 
ing, and, although the heat for a time became oppressive imme- 
diately around the opening, the connecting chambers were but 
slightly affected by it. The fire was allowed to die out, and 
Kamapuaa, on too closely approaching the entrance to note its 
effects, was made keenly aware of the failure of the project by re- 
ceiving a sharp spear-thrust in the arm. 

As fire and assault had proved unavailing, and a long siege did 
not accord with his purposes, Kamapuaa next endeavored to effect 
a breach through the top of the cavern in the rear of the entrance. 
As this necessitated the removal of an overlying mass of ten or 
fifteen feet of soil and rocTcs, the undertaking involved a very con- 
siderable amount of hard labor. But the plan met with general 
favor, and, with 00s and other implements obtained from the val- 
leys below, the besiegers entered upon the task of excavating 
through into the cavern. 

For several days the work progressed almost uninterruptedly, 
and a large pit had been lowered to a depth of eight or ten 
feet, when the earth began to tremble violently, and a few 
minutes after the air was filled with sulphurous smoke and 
ashes. But this was not the most appalling sight beheld by 
Kamapuaa and his companions. Looking up the valley, which 
at. that point was little more than a narrow gorge, they saw a 
flood of lava, full a hundred feet in width, bursting from the hill- 
side and pouring down the ravine, its high-advancing crest aflame 
with burning timber, and sweeping before it a thundering ava- 
lanche of half-molten boulders. 

With exclamations of dismay they started in full flight down 
the valley, closely followed by the devouring flood. On, on they 
sped, past the deserted huts of their victims, past the sandy foot- 
hills, past the cocoa-trees that fringed the beach. Turning at 



154 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

the water's edge, they beheld the awful stream spreading its mantle 
of death over the broadening valley, and speeding to the sea 
in broken volumes. Leaping into their canoes, they plunged 
through the surf and paddled out to sea. Setting sail for Honu- 
apo, Kamapuaa saw, as they left the coast, that the upper part of 
the valley from which they had fled was filled with lava, and 
knew that the cavern in which Pele and her companions had 
sought refuge from his wrath had been deeply buried by the 
flood. 

When the news of the eruption reached Honuapo, the 
people, who had heard so many strange stories of Pele and her 
family, did not believe that they had perished. On the contrary, 
they declared that the eruption had been invoked by Pele to 
drive Kamapuaa from the district, and that if she had permitted 
her lands to be destroyed it was with the view of taking up her 
residence in the crater of Kilauea. This opinion soon crystal- 
ized into a belief which spread throughout the island of Hawaii, 
and another generation saw temples erected to Pele, the goddess 
of fire, and priests sanctified to her service. All but three of 
her brothers and sisters were the creations of her early priests, 
and their attributes gradually grew and took form as they 
floated down the stream of tradition. 

Many adventures are related of Kamapuaa after his flight 
from Keauhou, but the most or all of them are the dreams of 
the poets of after-generations ; and further reference here to this 
most striking of the early heroes of the group may be properly 
concluded with the remark that, shortly after his experiences 
with the Pele family, he immigrated with a considerable follow- 
ing to one of the southern islands, where he married, distin- 
guished himself in arms, and finally died without revisiting the 
Hawaiian archipelago. 



HuA, King of Hana. 



CHARACTERS. 

HUA, king of Hana, Maui. 

LuuANA, a priest of the king's household. 

LuAHOOMOE, the supreme high-priest. 

Kaakakai and ) 

Kaanahua, 

Oluolu, wife of Kaakakai. 

Kaakoa, and 



vsons of Luahoomoe. 



Naula-a-Maihea, a high-priest of Oahu. 



HUA, KING OF HANA. 



THE LEGEND OF THE GREAT FAMINE OF THE TWELFTH CENTURY. 
I. 

WITH the reign of Hua, an ancient king of Hana, or eastern 
Maui, is connected a legendary recital of one of the most 
terrible visitations of the wrath of the gods anywhere brought 
down by Hawaiian tradition. It is more than probable that the 
extent of the calamities following Hua's defiant and barbarous 
treatment of his high-priest and prophet was greatly colored and 
exaggerated in turn by the pious historians who received and 
passed the moooelo down the centuries ; but the details of the 
story have been preserved with harrowing conciseness, and for 
more than six hundred years were recited as a solemn warning 
against wanton trespass upon the prerogatives of the priesthood 
or disregard of the power and sanctity of the gods. 

In some of the genealogies Hua is represented as having been 
the great-grandfather of Paumakua, of Maui. This record, if ac- 
cepted, would remove him altogether from the Hawaiian group, 
since Paumakua himself was undoubtedly an immigrant from 
Tahiti or some other of the southern islands. As he was con- 
temporaneous with the distinguished priest and prophet Naula, 
who is said to have accompanied Laa-mai-kahiki from Raiatea, 
he must have appeared two or three generations later than Pau- 
makua, and probably belonged to a collateral branch of the great 
Hua family from which Paumakua drew his strain. 

It may therefore be assumed that as early as a.d. 1170 Hua 
was the alii-tiui, or virtual sovereign, of eastern Maui. He is re- 
ferred to as the king of Maui, but it is hardly probable that his 
sway extended over the western division of the island, as it was 
not until the reign of Piilani, nearly three centuries later, that the 
people of Maui became finally united under one government. 
Previous to that time, except at intervals of temporary conquest 
or occupation, eastern and western Maui were ruled by distinct 
and frequently hostile lines of kings. Hence the sovereignty of 



158 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

Hua could scarcely have reached beyond the districts of Koolau, 
Hana, Kipahulu and Kaupo, while the remainder of the island 
must have recognized the authority either of Palena, the grand- 
son of Paumakua, or of Hanalaa, the distinguished son and suc- 
cessor of Palena, since the later mois of Maui traced their gene- 
alogies uninterruptedly through this branch of the Paumakua 
family. 

But, from whatever source Hua may have derived his rank 
and authority, he was a reckless, independent and warlike chief. 
Having access to the largest and finest timber in the group, his 
war-canoes were abundant and formidable, and when not en- 
gaged in harassing his neighboring frontiers he was employed in 
plundering expeditions to the coasts of Hawaii and Molokai. 
Tradition makes him the aggressor in the earliest remembered 
war between Maui and Hawaii. Although the name of the war 
{Kanuioohio) has been preserved, it probably did not reach be- 
yond the limit of a powerful marauding excursion to the coast of 
Hilo, Hawaii, resulting in the defeat of the chiefs of that district 
by Hua, but in nothing more than a temporary seizure and occu- 
pation of their lands ; for at that time Kanipahu was the moi of 
Hawaii, and would scarcely have permitted a permanent hostile 
lodgment in Hilo, whose chiefs acknowledged his suzerainty and 
were therefore entitled to his protection. 

The high-priest of Hua was Luahoomoe. He claimed to be 
an iku-pau — that is, a direct descendant from Kane — and as such 
was strict in claiming respect for his person and sacred preroga- 
tives. He did not approve of many of Hua's marauding acts, 
advising him instead to lead his people in happier and more 
peaceful pursuits, and not provoke either the retaliation of his 
enemies or the anger of the gods. This opposition to his aggres- 
sive methods exasperated Hua, and a feeling of suspicion and ill- 
will gradually grew up between him and the priesthood. He 
began to attribute his occasional failures in arms to deliberately- 
neglected prayers and sacrifices by Luahoomoe, and on one oc- 
casion, after having returned from an unsuccessful expedition to 
Molokai, he placed his tabu on a spring of water set apart for the 
use of the heiau, and on another wantonly speared a puaa-hiwa, 
or black tabued hog, sacred to sacrifice. When expostulated with 
for thus inviting the wrath of the gods, he threatened the high- 
priest with similar treatment. 



HUA, KING OF HANA. 159 

Hua resided principally at Hana, where he constructed one 
of the largest royal mansions in the group, and all the leisure 
spared from his warlike pastimes was given to revelry. He had 
a hundred hula dancers, exclusive of musicians and drummers, 
and his monthly feasts were prolonged into days and nights of 
debauchery and unbridled license. Drunk with awa, an intoxi- 
cating drink made from a plant of that name, he kept the whole 
of Hana in an uproar during his frequent seasons of pleasure, 
and the attractive wives and daughters of his subjects were not 
unfrequently seized and given to his favorite companions. 

The annual festival of Lono was approaching — an event mark- 
ing the winter solstice, and which was always celebrated impres- 
sively on every island of the group. It was an occasion not only 
for manifesting respect for the nearest and most popular deity of 
the godhead, but for celebrating, as well, the ending of the old 
year and the beginning of the new. The ancient Hawaiians di- 
vided the year into twelve months of thirty days each. Each 
month and day of the month was named. They had two modes 
of measuring time — the lunar and sidereal. The lunar month 
began on the first day that the new moon appeared in the west, 
and regulated their monthly feasts and tabu days. Their sidereal 
month of thirty days marked one of the twelve divisions of 
the year ; but as their two seasons of the year — the Hooilo 
(rainy) and Kau (dry) — were measured by the Pleiades, and 
their twelve months of thirty days each did not complete the 
sidereal year, they intercalated five days at the end of the year 
measured by months, in order to square that method of reckon- 
ing with the movements of the stars. This annual intercalation 
was made about the 20th of their month of Welehu (December), 
at the expiration of which the first day of the first month {Ma- 
kalii) of the new year commenced. This was their Makahiki, or 
new-year day. The five intercalated days were a season of tabu, 
and dedicated to a grand yearly festival to Lono. 

In preparation for this festival Hua had called for unusually 
large contributions from the people, and, in anticipation of an- 
other hostile expedition to Hawaii, had ordered quotas of war- 
riors, canoes and provisions from his subject chiefs, to be report- 
ed at Hana immediately after the beginning of the new year. 
These exactions caused very general dissatisfaction, and the 
priesthood assisted in promoting rather than allaying the popu- 



l6o THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

lar discontent. All this was reported to Hua, and he resolved to 
liberate himself at once and for the future from what he con- 
ceived to be an officious and unwarranted intermeddling of the 
priesthood with the affairs of state, by deposing or taking the life 
of Luahoomoe. In this desperate resolution he was sustained by 
Luuana, a priest who had charge of the heiau or chapel of the royal 
mansion, and who expected to succeed Luahoomoe as high-priest. 

Hua sought in every way for a pretext for deposing or slay- 
ing Luahoomoe ; but the priest was old in years, exemplary in 
his conduct, and moved among the people without reproach. 
Fin;illy, at the instigation of Luuana, who assumed that the ad- 
vice was a divine inspiration, Hua created a bungling and absurd 
pretence for an assault upon Luahoomoe. The dishonesty of the 
scheme was exposed, but it resulted, nevertheless, in the death of 
the unoffending priest. 

As tradition tells the story, Hua found occasion in a public 
manner to order some uwau, or uau, to be brought to him from 
the mountains. The uau is a water bird, and seldom found in 
the uplands. As neither its flesh for eating nor its feathers for 
decorating could have reasonably been required, the object of 
despatching snarers in quest of it must have been a subject of 
comment ; but kings then, as later, did not always deign to give 
reasons for their acts, and preparations were at once made by the 
household servants and retainers of the king to proceed upon the 
hunt. 

" Be careful that the birds come from the mountains," said 
Hua, addressing the trusted hoalii in charge of the hunting 
party — " only from the mountains," he repeated ; " I will have 
none from the sea." 

" But can they be found in the mountains ? " ventured the 
hoalii, looking inquiringly toward Luahoomoe, who was standing 
near and watching a flight of birds which seemed to be strangely 
confused and ominous of evil. 

" Do you inquire of me ? " said the priest, after a pause, and 
finding that the king did not answer. 

" I inquire of any one who thinks he knows," returned the 
hoalii. 

" Then the birds you seek will not be found in the mountains 
at this season of the year," returned the priest, " and you must set 
your snares by the sea-shore." 



HUA, KING OF HAN A. l6l 

" Is it so that you would attempt to countermand my orders ? " 
exclaimed Hua, in apparent anger. " I order my servants to go 
to the mountains for the uau, and you tell them to set their 
snares by the sea-shore ! " 

" I humbly ask the king to remember that I have given no 
orders," calmly replied the priest. 

" But you have dared to interfere with mine ! " retorted the 
king. " Now listen. My men shall go to the mountains in 
search of the birds I require. If they find them there I will 
have you slain as a false prophet and misleader of the people ! " 

With this savage threat the king walked away with his koalii, 
while the priest stood in silence with his face bowed to the earth. 
He knew the import of Hua's words. They meant death to him 
and the destruction of his family. The bloody purpose of the 
king had been told to him at the sacrificial altar, had been seen 
by him in the clouds, had been whispered to him from the anu 
of the sanctuary. 

" Since the gods so will it, I must submit to the sacrifice," 
was the pious resolution of the priest ; " but woe to the hand that 
strikes, to the eyes that witness the blow, to the land that drinks 
the blood of the son of Laamakua ! " 

Luahoomoe had two sons, Kaakakai and Kaanahua. Both 
were connected with the priesthood, and Kaakakai had been in- 
structed in all the mysteries of the order in anticipation of his 
succession, on the death of his father, to the position of high- 
priest. They were young men of intelligence, and their lives had 
been blameless. Knowing that they would not be spared, Lua- 
hoomoe advised them to leave Hana at once and secrete them- 
selves in the mountains, and suggested Hanaula, an elevated spur 
of the mighty crater of Haleakala, as the place where they would 
be most likely to escape observation. 

But a few weeks before Kaakakai had become the husband of 
the beautiful Oluolu, the daughter of a distinguished chief who 
had lost his life in Hua's first expedition against Hilo. Twice 
had she sought the heiau for protection against the emissaries of 
Hua, who had been ordered to seize and bring her to the royal 
mansion, and in both instances Luahoomoe had given her the 
shelter of the sacred enclosure. It was there that Kaakakai first 
met her, and, charmed no less by her beauty than her abhorrence 
of the lascivious intents of the king, he soon persuaded her to 



1 62 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

become his wife. But, even as his wife, Kaakakai did not deem 
her secure from the evil designs of the king, and had found 
an asylum for her in the humble home of a distant relative in 
a secluded valley four or five miles back of Hana, where he 
frequently visited her and cheered her with assurances of his love. 

As the danger was imminent, Luahoomoe urged his sons to 
leave Hana without delay, promising Kaakakai that he would 
visit Oluolu the next day, and apprise her of her husband's flight 
and the place to which he had fled for concealment. But the 
old priest did not live to fulfil his promise, and Oluolu was left 
in ignorance of the fate of her husband. 

Early next morning the bird-hunters returned, bringing with 
them a large number of birds, including the uau and ulili, all of 
which, they averred, had been caught in the mountains, when in 
reality they had been snared on the sea-shore. 

Hua summoned the high-priest, and, pointing to the birds,, 
said : " All these birds were snared in the mountains. You are 
therefore condemned to die as a false prophet who has been 
abandoned by his gods, and a deceiver of the people, who are 
entitled to the protection of their king." 

Taking one of the birds in his hand, the priest calmly re- 
plied : " These birds did not come from the mountains; they are 
rank with the odor of the sea." 

But the hoalii of the king steadfastly maintained that the 
birds had been snared in the mountains, and Hua declared the 
assurance of the hunters to be sufficient to outweigh the flimsy 
testimony of the priest. 

Luahoomoe saw that he was doomed, and that the hunters 
had been schooled to sustain the lying assertion of the hoalii ; 
yet he resolved to disconcert them all and make good his posi- 
tion, no matter what might be the result. He therefore asked 
permission to open a few of the birds, and the king sullenly 
granted it. 

" Select them yourself," said the priest to the hoalii, and the 
latter took from the heap and handed to him three birds. The 
priest opened them, and the crops of all were found to be 
filled with small fish and bits of sea-weed. 

" Behold my witness ! " exclaimed the priest, pointing to the 
eviscerated birds, and turning toward the hoalii with a look of 
triumph. 



HUA, KING OF NANA. 1 63 

Confounded and enraged at the development, Hua seized a 
javelin, and without a word savagely drove it into the breast of 
Luahoomoe, killing him on the spot. A shudder ran through the 
witnesses as the venerable victim fell to the earth, for violence to 
a high-priest was a crime almost beyond comprehension ; but the 
king coolly handed the bloody weapon to an attendant, and, with 
a remorseless glance at the dying priest, leisurely walked away. 

Sending for Luuana, he immediately elevated him to the 
dignity of high-priest, and ordered the body of Luahoomoe to be 
laid upon the altar of the heiau. The house of the dead priest 
was then burned, in accordance with ancient custom, and the 
king's executioners were despatched with attendants in search of 
the sons of Luahoomoe. 

Proud of his newly-acquired honors, Luuana made prepara- 
tions for extensive sacrifices, and then proceeded to the heiau 
with the body of Luahoomoe. As he approached the gate of the 
outer enclosure, the tall pea, or wooden cross indicative of the 
sanctity of the place, fell to the ground, and on reaching the inner 
court the earth began to quake, groans issued from the carved 
images of the gods, and the altar sank into the earth, leaving an 
opening from which issued fire and smoke. The attendants 
■dropped the body of the priest and fled from the heiau in dismay, 
followed by the no less frightened Luuana. 

The priests of the temple, who knew nothing of the death of 
Luahoomoe until they beheld his body about to be offered in sac- 
rifice, stood for a moment awe-stricken at what was transpiring 
around them. They had been taught that the heiau was the only 
place of safety for them in a time of danger, and after the flight of 
Luuana and his attendants they tenderly conveyed the body of the 
high-priest to a hut within the enclosure to prepare it for burial. 

Luuana repaired in haste to the halealii to report to the king 
what had occurred at the heiau. But his story excited but little 
surprise in Hua, for events quite as overwhelming were occur- 
ring all around them. The earth was affected with a slight but ' 
continuous tremor ; a hot and almost suffocating wind had set 
in from the southward ; strange murmurs were heard in the air ; 
the skies were crimson, and drops of blood fell from the clouds ; 
and finally reports came from all parts of Hana that the streams, 
wells and springs were no longer yielding water, and a general 
flight of the people to the mountains had commenced. 



164 1'HE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

Such chiefs as could be found were hastily called together iii 
council. Hua was completely subdued, and admitted that he 
had angered the gods by killing Luahoomoe. But what was to 
be done ? Perhaps the sons of the martyred priest might be 
appealed to. But where were they ? No one knew. It was 
suggested that a hundred human sacrifices be offered, but Luu- 
ana declined to appear again at the heiau, and resigned his 
office of high-priest. Another was appointed, and the sacrifices 
were ceremoniously offered. The mu had no difficulty in ob- 
taining victims, for the people were desperate and offered them- 
selves by scores. But the drought continued, and the general 
suffering increased from day to day. All other signs of the dis- 
pleasure of the gods had passed away. 

Other sacrifices were offered in great profusion, and an imu~ 
loa was constructed, where human bodies were baked and in 
that form presented to the gods. But the springs and streams, 
remained dry, and the clouds dropped no rain. 

The gods were redecorated, and the erection of a new heiau 
was commenced, but the people remaining in the district were 
too few and too weak to complete it ; and a strict tabu was de- 
clared for a season of ten days, but the people were too desperate 
to observe it, and no attempt was made to punish those who dis- 
regarded it. Many drowned themselves, insane from thirst, and 
such as could procure the poisonous mixture died from the: 
effects of koheoheo administered by their own hands. 

The drought extended to the mountains, and the people fled 
beyond ; but wherever they went the streams became dry and 
the rains ceased. The pestilence became known in western 
Maui, and the famishing refugees were driven back in attempting 
to enter that district. 

After vainly attempting to stay the dreadful scourge, and 
seeing his kingdom nearly depopulated, Hua secretly embarked 
with a few of his attendants for Hawaii. He landed in the dis- 
trict of Kona ; but the drought followed him. Wherever he 
went the fresh waters sank into the earth and the clouds yielded 
no rain. And so he journeyed on from place to place, carrying 
famine and misery with him, until in the course of his wander- 
ings, occupying more than three years, he rendered almost one- 
half of the island of Hawaii a desolation. Finally he died, as 
the gods had decreed, of thirst and starvation — one legend says 



HUA, KING OF HAN A. 1 65 

in a temple of Kohala — and his bones were left to dry in the 
sun ; and the saying of " rattling are the bones of Hua in the 
sun," or " dry are the bones of Hua in the sun," has come down 
to the present as a significant reference to the fate of one high 
in power who defied the gods and persecuted the priesthood. 

But rainless skies and drought did not mark alone the foot- 
steps of Hua and his attendants. Wherever the despairing peo- 
ple of the district went the same affliction followed. Some of 
them sailed to Hawaii, others to Molokai and Oahu, and a few 
to Kauai ; but nowhere could they find relief. Everywhere the 
drought kept pace with them, and famine and suffering were the 
result throughout the entire group. The diviners had discovered 
the cause of the scourge, but neither prayers nor sacrifices could 
avert or ameliorate it. And so it continued for nearly three and 
a half years. 

n. 

During all the long years of famine and death what had 
befallen Oluolu, the young wife of Kaakakai, left in the secluded 
valley back of Hana ? She saw the blight that suddenly fell upon 
the land ; saw the springs and streams go dry around her humble 
home ; saw the leaves of the banana wither and the grass turn 
yellow in the valley ; saw famishing men, women and children 
madly searching for water, and tearing down cocoanuts for the 
little milk they afforded ; and then by degrees she learned of all 
that had transpired and was still transpiring in Hana, including 
the sad story of the death of Luahoomoe and the flight of Kaa- 
kakai. But whither had he fled ? No one could tell her ; but, 
wherever he might be, she knew that, if alive, he would some 
day return to her, and therefore struggled on as best she could 
to live. 

Her home was with Kaakao, whose wife was Mamulu. They 
had been blessed with three sons, all of whom had perished in 
Hua's useless wars, and now in their old age they were occupy- 
ing a little kiileana, so far up the narrow valley winding into the 
hills that no land for cultivation was found above them. They 
had small patches of taro and potatoes, a score or two of cocoa- 
nut-trees of old growth, and plantains and bananas enough for 
their use. In the hills back of them were ohias and other wild 



I 66 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

fruits, and, with pigs and fowls in abundance, there was never 
any lack of food in the house of Kaakao. 

But when the drought came, accompanied by the scorching 
south wind, Kaakao shared the fate of his neighbors. His pigs 
and fowls scattered in search of water, and did not return. The 
ripening plantains and bananas, together with a few bulbs of 
tm-o, were hastily gathered, and the food supply stored in the 
house M'as adequate to the wants of the occupants for some 
weeks to come ; but fresh water was nowhere to be found, and 
the cocoanuts were stripped from the trees and laid away to 
meet, as far as possible, the terrible emergency. 

Thus passed nearly half a month, during which time harrow- 
ing reports from the valleys below reached the kuleana through 
parties vainly searching everywhere among the hills for water. 
Then Kaakao saw that his supply of cocoanut-milk was nearly 
exhausted, and resolved to visit the sea-shore, where he knew 
of a spring in times past dripping from the rocks almost on a 
level with the waves. "Surely," he thought, "that spring can- 
not be dry, with all the water around it." And, swinging two 
water-calabashes over his shoulders, he started for the sea-shore. 
But he never returned. In passing to the coast he was seized, 
among others, and offered as a sacrifice in the heiau. 

For two days his return was awaited at the kuleana. Then 
Mamulu solemnly said : " Kaakao is dead. We have no more 
water and but little food. Why suffer longer ? Let us drink 
koheoheo and die. " 

" Not to-day, my good friend Mamulu," replied Oluolu, 
soothingly. "We will talk of it to-morrow. Last night in my 
dreams a whisper told me not to despair. Let us wait." 

The next morning Oluolu rose at daylight. The last of the 
cocoanut-milk was gone, and the mouths of both were dry and 
feverish. There was a strangely cheerful light in Oluolu's eyes 
as she bent over the suffering but patient Mamulu, and, hold- 
ing up a calabash, said : " I shall soon return with this filled 
with water ! — think of it, Mamulu ! — filled with pure, fresh 
water ! " 

" Poor child ! " replied Mamulu, not doubting that her mind 
was Avandering. " But where will you go for it ? " 

" Only a short walk — right up the valley ! " returned Oluolu. 
"You know the Httle cavern among the rocks. The mouth is 



HUA, KING OF NANA. 167 

almost closed, but I can find it. The water is in the back part 
of the ana. It is running water, but it disappears in the dark- 
ness. Perhaps it comes from Po ; but no matter — it is sweet 
and good. Luahoomoe came to me last night, with his long, 
white hair smeared with blood, and told me he had sent the 
water there. It is for us alone. If others know of it or taste it, 
it will disappear. So we must be careful, Mamulu, very careful." 

Leaving the woman almost in a daze at the words thus 
spoken in rapid and excited sentences, Oluolu left the hut and 
started up the narrow valley. A walk of three or four minutes 
brought her to the entrance of an abrupt and chasm-like ravine 
gashing the hills on the right. To its almost precipitous sides 
clung overhanging masses of ragged volcanic rock, from the 
crevices of which a sturdy vegetation had taken root, and in 
time past gloomily shaded the narrow channel ; but the inter- 
lacing branches of the trees were almost leafless, and all around 
were seen the footprints of death and desolation. Not a breath 
of wind cooled the sultry air, and no sound of living creature 
broke the silence of the heated hills. The mouth of the ravine 
was partially choked with huge boulders washed down by the 
freshets of centuries, and the ground was strewn with dead 
leaves and broken branches. 

Casting her eyes around in every direction, to be sure that 
she was not observed, Oluolu quickly found a way over the boul- 
ders and ascended the ravine. Proceeding upward thirty or 
forty yards, and climbing a rocky bench, over which in sea- 
sons of rain had poured a little cascade, she stopped in front of 
an overhanging mass of vitreous rock, and the next moment dis- 
appeared in a stooping posture through a low opening almost 
concealed by decrepitations from above. The opening led to a 
cavern forty or fifty feet in depth, with an irregular width almost 
as great. The floor descended from the entrance, and was 
smooth and apparently water-worn. Two or three steps forward 
enabled her to stand upright ; but all beyond was darkness, and 
for a moment she remained undecided which way to proceed. 
She heard a sound like that of a bare and cautious footstep on 
the smooth floor. She was startled, but suffering had made her 
.desperate, and she listened again. The same sound continued, 
but it was mellowed into the soft murmur of waters somewhere 
back in the darkness, and with a swelling heart she groped her 



1 68 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

way toward the silvery voice, sweeter to her than the strains of 
the ohe or the songs of birds. 

Closer and closer she approached, every step making more 
distinct the joyful music, until at last she felt the spatter of cool 
water upon her bare feet. Stretching out her hand, it came in 
contact with a little stream gushing from the back wall of the 
cavern, and instantly disappearing where it fell upon a layer of 
loose gravel washed down from the entrance. She ha:stily drank 
from her palm, and found that the water was cool and sweet. 
Then she held the mouth of the calabash under the stream, and, 
after wetting her head and drinking until prudence counseled 
her to stop, refilled the vessel, cautiously emerged from the open- 
ing, and hastened back to the hut. 

Hesitating without the door, to satisfy herself that no one 
had arrived during her absence, Oiuolu noiselessly entered, and, 
stealing to the kapa-moe upon which Mamulu was half-deliriously 
dreaming, poured a quantity of water upon her head, and, as she 
opened her eyes with a bewildered stare, dropped a swallow into 
her parched and open mouth. 

Half-rising, Mamulu dreamily felt of her dripping hair, and 
then stared vacantly at Oiuolu, who stood smilingly beside her 
with the calabash in her hand. In a moment she recalled all that 
had occurred before she dropped into the troubled sleep from 
which she had been so strangely aroused. 

" Then it is not a dream ! " she murmured, clasping her 
wasted hands upon her breast. " The gods have sent us water !'" 
And she reached for the calabash. ^ 

" No," said Oiuolu kindly, withdrawing the vessel. " We have 
plenty, but you are weak and would drink too much. Now lie 
down, with this roll of kapa under your head, and while I am 
giving you a swallow at a time I will tell you all about the water 
and how I found it." 

And so, slowly feeding Mamulu with the precious fluid, and 
at the same time bathing her head and throat, Oiuolu related ta 
her everything that had occurred. 

" But will the stream continue ? " anxiously inquired Mamuku 
" Would it not be well to fill all the calabashes in the house, and 
all we can procure, and so keep them, that we may not be left 
without water should the stream disappear ? " 

" I think it would not be well to anger the gods by doubting 



HUA, KING OF HANA. 169 

them," replied Oluolu. " The water was sent, not to prolong 
our sufferings, but to save our lives ; and I am sure it will con- 
tinue so long as we guard the secret and allow no others to 
use it." 

OKiolu's faith was rewarded. Without any diminution in 
volume the little stream continued to flow and sink in the dark- 
ness of the cavern until the wrath of the gods was appeased and 
the rains finally came again. But Oluolu and her companion 
could not subsist on water alone. The parched earth produced 
no food ; but they did not despair. Every day they cautiously 
watered a little patch of mountain taro in the ravine above the 
cavern, and at intervals of four or five days went to the sea-shore 
and returned with fish, crabs, limpets and edible sea-weed. 

And so they managed to live without suffering, while the 
valleys became almost depopulated, and all others in Hana were 
stricken with famine. They seldom saw a human face in their 
journeys to and from the sea, and never in the valley where they 
lived, and the few they met avoided them, fearful, no doubt, 
that the miserable means of subsistence to which they resorted 
might become known to others. 

III. 

It was near the end of the terrible scourge that the district 
of Ewa, on the island of Oahu, became its victim. It followed 
the appearance there of a Hana chief and a few of his retainers, 
who had been driven from Molokai. At that time there lived 
at Waimalu, in the district of Ewa, the celebrated priest and 
prophet Naula-a-Maihea. No one in the Hawaiian priesthood 
of the past was ever more feared or respected. It was thought 
by some that he had visited the shadowy realms of Milu, and 
from Faliuli had brought back the waters of life. He must 
have been well on in years, for, as already mentioned, he is cred- 
ited with having been the priest of Laa-mai-kahiki on the ro- 
mantic journey of that prince from the southern islands. 

In evidence of the great sanctity of Naula, tradition relates 
that his canoe was upset during a journey from Waianae, Oahu, 
to Kauai. He was swallowed by a whale, in whose stomach he 
remained without inconvenience until the monster crossed the 
channel and vomited him up alive on the beach at Waialua, 



I 70 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAII. 

Kauai, the precise place of his destination. At another time, 
when crossing to Hawaii, and beset with adverse winds, two huge 
black sharks, sent by Mooalii, the shark-god of Molokai, towed 
him to Kohala so swiftly that the sea-birds could scarcely keep 
him company. 

He built a hetau at Waimalu, the foundations of which may 
still be traced, and in the inner temple of the enclosure it is as- 
serted that Lotto conversed with him freely ; and at his bidding 
the spirits of the living {kahaoka) as well as the shades of the 
dead iyunihipili) made their appearance ; for it was believed by 
the ancient Hawaiians that the spirits or souls of the living some- 
times separated themselves from the body during slumber or 
while in a condition of trance, and became visible in distant 
places to priests of especial sanctity. 

Consulting with the gods, Naula discovered the cause of the 
drought, and, becoming alarmed at the threatened destruction of 
the entire population of the group, undertook to stay the rav- 
ages of the spreading scourge. With a vision enlarged and in- 
tensified by sacrifice and prayer, he ascended the highest peak 
of the Waianae Mountains. Far as the eye could reach the skies 
were cloudless. He first looked toward Kaala, but discerned no 
sign of rain around its wooded summits. He turned toward 
Kauai, but not a cloud could be seen above the mountains of 
that island. Cloudless, also, were the mountains of Molokai. 
Finally, casting his eyes in the direction of Maui, he saw a small, 
dark spot like a rain-cloud hanging above the peak of Hanaula. 
" It may disappear," he thought; " I will wait." Midday came. 
He looked again, and the spot was still there. The sun grew 
red in the west. Again he looked and found that the cloud had 
neither disappeared nor moved. " Surely the sons of Luahoo- 
moe are there," he said to himself. " I will go to them ; they 
will listen to me, and the waters will come again." 

Naula descended from the mountain, and the same night 
embarked alone in a canoe for Maui. He spread no sail, used 
no paddle, but all night his ivaa skimmed the waves with the 
speed of the wind, and at sunrise the next morning he landed at 
Makena, above which, a few miles inland, towered the peak of 
Hanaula, with the dark spot still hanging over it. 

There, indeed, were the sons of Luahoomoe. Nurtured by 
the rains that had fallen alone on the peak of Hanaula, there 



HUA, KING OF HAN A. I7I 

they had remained unseen for three and a half years, waiting for 
the wrath of the gods to be appeased and for a summons to de- 
scend. A strange Ught accompanied the canoe of Naula in the 
darkness. From their elevated retreat they noted it far out upon 
the ocean, and watched it growing brighter as it approached, 
until it went out on the beach at Makena. They knew it to be 
the signal of their deliverance, and hastened down the mountain 
to meet the messenger of the gods. One account says they met 
Naula at Kula ; but the meeting occurred not far from the Ma- 
kena landing, where the priest, inspired with a knowledge of 
their coming, awaited their arrival. As they approached, the 
venerable kahuna, his white hair and beard falling to his waist 
and a tabu staff in his hand, advanced to meet them. They 
bowed respectfully, and, returning the salutation, Naula said : 

" I know you to be the sons of Luahoomoe, whose death by 
the hands of Hua, King of Hana, has been avenged by the gods 
upon the people of all the islands of Hawaii. The earth is still 
parched, and thousands are seeking in vain for food and water. 
Hua is dead ; his bones lie unburied in the sun. Scattered or 
dead are the people of Hana ; their lands are yellow, and their 
springs and streams yield nothing but dust and ashes. Great 
was the crime of Hua, and great has been the punishment. I am 
Naula-a-Maihea, the high-priest of Oahu, and have come to ask, 
with you, that the gods may be merciful and no longer scourge 
the people." 

At the mention of his name the sons of Luahoomoe bowed 
low before the aged prophet of whose sanctity report h^d years 
before apprised them, and then Kaakakai replied : 

" Great priest, willingly will we add our voices to your sup- 
plication to the gods, whose vengeance has indeed been terrible. 
But since our retreat was revealed to you and nothing seems to 
be hidden from your understanding, let me ask if you know 
aught of the fate of Oluolu. She was my wife, and I left her in 
a little valley in the mountains back of Hana. I loved her great- 
ly, and am grieved with the fear that she is dead." 

Without replying the priest seated himself upon the ground, 
and, unbinding the kihei from his shoulders, threw it over his 
head, shutting the light from his face. While one hand pressed 
the mantle closely to his breast, the other held to his forehead 
what seemed to be a talisman of stone suspended by a short 



172 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

cord from his neck. He remained motionless in that position 
for some minutes ; then throwing off the kihei and rising to his 
feet, he turned to Kaakakai and said : 

" I was not wrong in my thought. The presence here of the 
sons of Luahoomoe has sanctified the spot to communion with 
the spirits of the air. Oluolu, alone with a woman much her 
elder, still lives where you left her and hopefully awaits the 
coming of Kaakakai — for such I now know to be your name. 
The spirit of Luahoomoe has nourished and protected her." 

" Great Naula, most favored of the gods ! " exclaimed Kaa- 
kakai, grasping the hand of the priest. " You have made my 
heart glad ! Now ask of me what you will ! " 

On the very spot from which the priest had risen they pro- 
ceeded to erect a rude altar of stones. When it was completed 
Naula brought from his canoe a combined image of the godhead 
— the Oie of the early priesthood — and a small enclosed calabash 
of holy water — ka-w'ai-kapn-a-Kane. Removing the kapa cover- 
ing, the image was placed beside the altar, and while the priest 
recited the solemn kaiokopeo, or prayer of consecration, Kaaka- 
kai intoned the invocation and continued at intervals to sprinkle 
the altar with holy water. 

The dedication ceremonies were at length concluded ; but 
what was there to offer as a sacrifice ? The hills were bare and 
parched. Far as the eye could reach the lands were deserted, 
and no living thing beside themselves was visible. Suddenly 
there appeared among the leafless shrubbery near them a large 
black hog sacred to sacrifice. The brothers exchanged looks of 
wonder, but the priest did not seem to be greatly surprised. 
The animal was immediately seized, killed and placed upon the 
altar, and sacrificial prayers were devoutly offered. 

In the midst of these services a wind set in from the south. 
Black clouds began to gather, from which the answering voice 
of thunder came, and then a gentle rain began to fall upon the 
sere and hungry earth. Raising his face into the baptism, Naula 
with emotion exclaimed : 

" The sacrifice is accepted ! The gods are merciful, and 
the people are saved ! " 

And the rains continued, not there alone but all over the 
islands, until the grass grew green again and the banana put 
forth its shoots. Everywhere the rejoicing was great. The 



HUA, KING OF HAN A. I 73 

people returned to their deserted lands, and the valleys of Hana, 
even, blossomed as before. But Hua and his family had per- 
ished from the earth, and a new dynasty came into being to 
claim the sovereignty of eastern Maui. 

The sons of the martyred Luahoomoe returned at once to 
Hana, and in the arms of Kaakakai the brave and faithful Olu- 
olu recited the story of her sufferings and deliverance. With 
largely-augmented possessions Kaakakai became the high-priest 
under the new regime, and for generations his descendants con- 
tinued to be among the most influential of the families of eastern 
Maui. Kaanahua became the god of the husbandman. 

The political events immediately following the death of Hua 
are but vaguely referred to by tradition, and the few particulars 
known doubtless owe their preservation to the care taken by the 
priesthood — to which class the historians of the past usually be- 
longed — to bring down, with all its terrible details, the fate of 
Hua, as a warning to succeeding sovereigns who might be dis- 
posed to trespass upon the sacred domain of the spiritual rulers 
who, in a measure, divided the allegiance of their subjects. 



The Iron Knife. 



CHARACTERS. 

Kalaunuiohua, king of Hawaii. 

Kamaluohua, king of Maui. 

HUAPOULEILEI, alii-nui of Oahu. 

Kahokuohua, king of Molokai. 

KUKONA, king of Kauai. 

Kaheka, queen of Hawaii. 

KUAIWA; son of the king of Hawaii. 

Kapapa, daughter of the king of Hawaii. 

Waahia, a renowned prophetess. 

KuALU, adopted son of Waahia. 

Wakalana, an influential chief of Maui. 

Kaluiki-a-Manu, \ "1 

Hakoa and K males, 

HiKA, ) V shipwrecked foreigners. 

Neleike and ) 

Malaea, ^females, J 

Manokalanipo, son of the king of Kauai. 



THE IRON KNIFE. 

A LEGEND OF THE FIRST WAR FOR THE CONQUEST OF THE GROUP. 
I. 

TWO or three attempts to consolidate under one general gov- 
ernment the several islands of the Hawaiian group were 
made by ambitious and war-like chiefs previous to the final 
accomplishment of the project, at the close of the last century, by 
Kamehameha I. ; but all these early schemes of conquest and 
aggrandizement proved unsuccessful, and were especially unfor- 
tunate in affording excuses for retaliatory raids and invasions, 
sometimes extending, with more or less persistency and bitterness, 
to generations thereafter. 

The most disastrous of these ambitious ventures was the first, 
and connected with it were a number of strange and dramatic 
incidents, giving to the story of the enterprise something more 
than a historic interest. It occurred in about a.d. 1260, and the 
bold warrior who attempted it was Kalaunuiohua, king of the 
island of Hawaii. He was the grandson of Kalapana, who recon- 
quered the kingdom from Kamaiole, the usurper, as related in 
the story of "The Royal Hunchback." 

At that time Kamaluohua, the seventh in descent from Pauma- 
kua, was the moi of Maui, or rather of the western and greater 
part of the island. Huapouleilei, the eighth in line from Maweke, 
was the alii-nui of Oahu, his possessions embracing the districts 
of Ewa, Waianae and Waialua, while the Koolau and Kona divi- 
sions were ruled, respectively, by Moku-a-Loe and Kahuoi. The 
moi of Molokai was Kahokuohua, the fourth in descent in the 
old Nanaula line from Keoloewa, the brother of Kaupeepee, the 
abductor of Hina and desperate defender of the fortress of 
Haupu, as told in the legend of " Hina, the Hawaiian Helen." 
Kukona was the sovereign of Kauai. He was the great-grandson 
of Ahukini-a-Laa, one of the three sons of the three wives of 
Laa-mai-kahiki, as mentioned in the story of " The Triple Mar- 
riage of Laa-mai-kahiki." 

177 



I 78 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAII. 

The contemporary rulers of the several islands are thus referred 
to for the reason that they all appear as prominent actors in the 
several legends from which have been gathered the historic fea- 
tures of the story about to be related, and also for the purpose of 
keeping partially in view the conspicuous and succeeding repre- 
sentatives of the sovereign families of the group. 

Kalaunuiohua — or, as he will be called hereafter, Kalaunui — 
inherited something of the military spirit of his warlike grand- 
father, and is referred to by tradition as an ambitious and 
aggressive sovereign, courageous in enterprise, but lacking in 
judgment and discretion. This estimate of his character is 
abundantly sustained by the record of his acts. 

Waipio had been made the focus of sovereign authority by 
Kahaimoelea, the royal father of Kalaunui, and continued to be 
the most attractive and consequential point in the kingdom. 
The royal grounds and edifices had been enlarged and improved 
from time to time, until barbaric taste and skill seemed to be able 
to add nothing more to their grandeur or beauty. Not far from 
the royal mansion was the great heiaii of Pakaalani, partially 
built by Kalapana, and completed by his successor. Its tabus 
were the most sacred on Hawaii, and a descendant of Paao offi- 
ciated there as high-priest. It was connected with the palace 
enclosure by a sacred stone pavement, which it was death for any 
but royal and privileged feet to touch, and on its walls were over 
a hundred gods. 

Kalaunui was proud of his ancestry, which carried back his 
lineage both to Pili and Maweke, and united in his veins the fore- 
most blood of the pioneers of the fifth and eleventh centuries. He 
had two children — a son named Kuaiwa, and a daughter, Kapapa, 
whose full name was Kapapalimulimu. At the time of which we 
are writing she was fifteen, and her brother was three or four years 
older. Both had been carefully reared. The son had been in- 
structed in all the manly accomplishments of the time, and from 
her infancy the daughter had been guarded with the most jeal- 
ous watchfulness. She had grown almost to womanhood with- 
out betrothal, for the reason that a husband suited to her rank 
and personally deserving of her beauty could with difficulty be 
found in the kingdom. 

Among the number of the king's retainers of various grades 
of rank — beginning with the wohi, or chief counsellor of royal 



THE IRON KNIFE. I 79 

blood next to the throne, and ending with the kahu-alii and 
puuku, or personal and other attendants at the palace — was the 
young chief Kualu. He was large, muscidar and handsome, 
with a bearing indicative of good blood, and through his courage 
and capacity at arms had been raised to the military position of 
ptikaua, or captain, and placed in charge of the palace guard — an 
office which gave him, if he did not before possess it, the privi- 
lege of an aialo, or the right to eat food in the presence of the king. 

Kualu was a chief without possessions. His grandfather, a 
chief of the old line of Nanaula, had been killed in the battle 
which restored Kalapana to the throne of his fathers, and on the 
sudden death of his father, twenty years before, he had been 
adopted by Waahia, a kaula, or prophetess, renowned in tradition 
for her foresight and influence. He was recognized by the 
Aha-alii, or college of chiefs of established lineage, as of noble 
blood, but belonged to that class of chiefs who, lacking the influ- 
ence of family and estates, were compelled to rely upon their own 
efforts for advancement. 

Although it is claimed that Waahia was of chiefly lineage, 
nothing is positively known, even of her parents. She first 
appeared in Waipio more than a generation before, and, through 
an almost undeviating verification of her prophecies, in time 
became noted and feared by the people, not only as a favored 
devotee of Uli, the god of the sorcerers, but as a medium through 
whom the unipihili, or spirits of the dead* communicated. She 
lived alone in a hut in a retired part of the valley of Waipio, and 
it is said that a Xzx^^ pueo, or owl, which, with the white alae, was 
sacred and sometimes worshipped, came nightly and perched upon 
the roof of her lonely habitation. 

Of course a kaula of her sanctity wanted for nothing. The 
people were only too happy to leave at her door anything of wbich 
she might stand in need, and the best of everything in the valley 
came unbidden to her board. Of her abundance she gave to the 
needy, and, while she seldom spoke to any one, her looks and acts 
were kind to all. The priesthood recognized her power, and the 
king and chiefs consulted her in matters of moment when the 
kilos of the temple were in doubt. 

She had reared Kualu with the greatest care, and saw him 
grow to a manhood of which she was proud. She loved him as 
if he had been her own child, and he repaid her affection by 



l8o THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 

heeding her advice in all things, and by kindness comforting 
her declining years. She had schooled him in a lore which but 
few possessed, and the most skilful had instructed him in the 
martial and courtly accomplishments consistent with his chiefly 
rank. At the age of twenty he became attached to the household 
of the king, and in time was advanced, as already stated, to the 
high grade of captain of the palace guard. Although his abilities 
had commended him to advancement, his early favor with the 
king was doubtless due to some extent to the influence of his 
foster-mother. 

Kualu's intimate connection with the royal household brought 
him into frequent companionship with Kuaiwa and his sister, 
and as the latter grew to womanhood a romantic attachment 
sprang up between her and the handsome captain of the guard. 
It was romantic only because it was to every appearance hopeless, 
for there was a wide gulf between Kualu and the daughter of the 
proudest moi in all the group, and for whom there seemed to be 
no fitting mate. 

The home of Kualu was within the palace enclosure ; yet 
he frequently visited Waahia in her lonely retreat, to cheer her 
with words of affection and see that she wanted for nothing. It 
was during one of these visits, not long before the beginning of 
the leading events of this legend, that the kaula abruptly said to 
him : 

" Kualu, I can see that you are thinking much of Kapapa." 

" We sometimes meet," replied Kualu, evasively. 

" It is not well for you to try to gather berries from the 
clouds," returned the kaula, kindly. " A niapio of the highest rank 
alone can reach that fruit. " 

" The flying spear brings down what the hand cannot reach," 
was Kualu's significant answer. 

Waahia smiled at the dauntless spirit of her ward, and after a 
long pause, during which she sat thoughtfully, with her eyes fixed 
upon the ground, said : 

" Your hopes are bold, but the gods are great. Come to me 
to-morrow." 

The next day Kualu was made joyful by the words of Waahia. 
She told him that she had been given a view of something of his 
future, and that the auguries promised so much that she could 
not discourage even the most audacious of his aspirations ; but 



THE IRON KNIFE. 1 8 I 

that coming events affecting his life were so mingled with wars, 
and strange faces of a race she had never seen except in dreams, 
that she could then advise no definite course of action. 

With these vague words of encouragement Kualu returned to 
the palace, and authoritatively learned, what had for some time 
been rumored, that preparations were to be speedily made for an 
invasion of Maui, and possibly of the other islands of the group. 
Having brought all the districts of Hawaii under his control, 
Kalaunui entertained the ambitious design of uniting the several 
islands of the archipelago under one government. In this grand 
scheme of conquest and consolidation he was sustained by the 
leading chiefs of Hawaii, hungering for foreign possessions, and 
large quotas of canoes and warriors were promised. 

A general plan of action having been adopted, a fleet of two 
thousand canoes of all sizes and an army of twelve thousand 
warriors were speedily collected. Sacrifices were made at the 
great temple of Pakaalani ; the favor of the gods was invoked, 
and the auguries were satisfactory. The king was to lead the ex- 
pedition in person, and the chivalry of the kingdom rallied to his 
support. His double canoe, nearly forty paces in length, was 
gorgeous in royal colors and trappings, and more than a hundred 
others bore at their mast-heads the ensigns of distinguished chiefs. 
No such warlike display had been seen by the generation wit- 
nessing it, and the confidence and enthusiasm of the king and his 
commanding officers were fully shared by the people. 

Leaving the government in the hands of his young son Kuaiwa, 
with Kaheka, the queen-mother, as principal adviser, Kalaunui 
ordered the warriors to their canoes, and with his aids and per- 
sonal attendants repaired to the beach to superintend the depar- 
ture of the expedition in person. In charge of his high-priest, 
his newly-decorated war-god had been taken aboard, and the 
king was about to follow, when Waahia, whose foster-son was one 
of the leaders in the enterprise, approached the royal kaulua. 
She was clad in 2. pan and short mantle, and her long, white hair 
fell below her shoulders. Her form was bent, and she carried a 
staff for support. 

At the sight of the venerable figure, familiar to every one in 
Waipio, the king turned and said : 

" I am glad you are here. Encouragement comes from the 
temple. What says Waahia ? " 



1 82 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

" Good in the beginning ! bad in the end ! " was the blunt 
response of the prophetess. 

" I am instructed by your cheering assurances," adroitly re- 
turned the king, observing that her words had been overheard. 
" The true meaning is that it would be bad to abruptly end a 
good beginning." Saying which, with something of a scowl he 
hastily stepped into his kaulua and gave the signal for departure. 

Without replying, Waahia, fully believing that disaster would 
overtake the expedition in the end, and anxious to be near Kualu 
when it came, entered one of the many canoes set apart for the 
women and other camp-followers of the invading army, and with 
the fleet set sail for Maui. 



II. 

While the Hawaiian army, cheered by chants of battle and 
beating of war-drums, is buffeting the waves on its way to Maui, 
let us glance again at the moi of that island and the political con- 
dition of his possessions. While Kamaluohua was the nominal 
sovereign of the island, the extreme eastern portion of it con- 
tinued to be governed by independent chiefs. The principal 
chief of the windward side was Wakalana, whose residence was 
at Wailuku. He was a cousin of the 7noi, and their relations were 
exceedingly friendly. 

Two years before a remarkable event had occurred at Wailu- 
ku. It was the second appearance in the group of a vessel 
bearing people of a strange race, described by tradition as 
"white, Vi^ith bright, shining eyes." Mention is made of other 
white people who were brought to the islands on one or more 
occasions by the argonauts of earlier generations, notably by 
Paumakua, of Oahu, who near the close of the eleventh century 
returned from one of his exploring voyages with three white per- 
sons of an unknown race ; but this was the second time that a ves- 
sel of a people other than Polynesian had been seen in Hawaiian 
waters. The first made a landing near Makapu Point, on the 
island of Oahu, more than a hundred years before. Tradition 
has preserved the name of the vessel ( Ulupana) and of the cap- 
tain {Mololano) and his wife {Malaed) ; but as it is not mentioned 
that they remained in the country, it is probable that they soon 
re-embarked. 



THE IRON KNIFE. 1 83 

The second arrival is more distinctly marked by tradition. It 
was a Japanese vessel that had been dismantled by a typhoon, 
driven toward the North American coast until it encountered the 
northwest trade-winds, and then helplessly blown southward to 
the coast of Maui. It was late in the afternoon that word had 
been brought to Wakalana that a strange vessel was approaching 
the coast. As it was high out of water and drifting broadside 
before the wind, it appeared to be of great size, and little dis- 
position was shown by the people to go out in their canoes to 
meet the mysterious monster. Wakalana hastened to the beach, 
and, after watching the vessel intently for some time, saw that it 
was drifting slowly toward the rocky coast to the westward. 
Seaman enough to know that certain destruction awaited it in 
that direction, Wakalana hastily manned a stout canoe and started 
out to sea in pursuit. The waters were rough and his progress 
was slow, but he succeeded in reaching the vessel a few minutes 
after it struck the cliffs and was dashed in pieces. Seizing what- 
ever they could find to assist them in floating, those on board 
leaped into the sea. It was hazardous to approach the wreck too 
nearly, but Wakalana succeeded in rescuing from the waves and 
returning to Wailuku with five persons, but not before he saw the 
last fragment of the wreck disappear in the abyss of raging 
waters. 

There is nothing in the names preserved, either of the vessel 
or its rescued passengers, to indicate their nationality. The 
name of the vessel is given as Mamala, which in the Hawaiian 
might mean a wreck or fragment. The name of the captain was 
Kaluiki-a-Manu ; the four others were called Neleike, Malaea, 
Haakoa and Hika^ — all names of Hawaiian construction. Two 
of them — Neleike and Malaea — were women, the former being 
the sister of the captain. 

They landed almost without clothing, and the only novelties 
upon their persons were the rings and bracelets of the women, 
and a sword in the belt of the captain, with which he had 
thoughtlessly leaped into the sea from the sinking vessel. They 
were half- famished and weak, and by gestures expressed their 
gratitude to Wakalana for his gallantry in rescuing them, and 
asked for food and water. Both were provided in abundance, 
and two houses were set apart for their occupation. They at- 
tracted great attention, and people came from all parts of the 



184 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

island to see the white strangers. It was noted with astonish- 
ment by the natives that these men and women ate from the same 
vessels, and that nothing was especially tabu to either sex ; but 
Wakalana explained that their gods doubtless permitted such 
freedom, and they should therefore not be rebuked for their 
apparent disregard of Hawaiian custom. 

The comfort of the strangers was made the especial care 
of Wakalana, and they soon became not only reconciled but 
apparently content with their situation. But the kindness of 
the chief, however commendable, was not altogether unself- 
ish. He was charmed with the bright eyes and fair face of 
Neleike, the sister of the captain. He found a pleasure that was 
new to him in teaching her to speak his language, and almost 
the first use she made of oia was to say " yes " with it when he 
asked her to become his wife. Her marriage was followed by that 
of Malaea to a native chief, and of her brother and his two male 
companions to native women of good family. And here, as well 
as anywhere, it may be mentioned that, through her son Alooia, 
Neleike became the progenitor of a family which for generations 
showed the marks of her blood, and that the descendants of the 
others were plentiful thereafter, not only on Maui but in the 
neighborhood of Waimalo, on the island of Oahu. 

The object of the rescued Japanese which attracted most 
attention was the sword accidentally preserved by the captain. 
No such terrible knife had ever before been seen or dreamed of 
by the natives. They had pahoas, or daggers of wood or ivory, 
and knives of sharply broken flint and sharks' teeth ; they had 
stone adzes, axes, hatchets and hammers, with which they could 
fell trees, hollow canoes from tree-trunks, build houses, manu- 
facture implements of war and industry, and hew stone of softer 
composition ; they had spears and javelins with points of sea- 
soned wood hard enough to splinter a bone ; but iron and other 
metals had for ages been practically unknown to their race, and 
the long, sharp sword of the captain, harder than bone or seasoned 
wood, and from its polished surface throwing defiantly back the 
bright rays of the sun, engaged their ceaseless wonder and 
admiration. As an ornament they regarded it with longing, and 
when they learned that it was a weapon of war they felt that the 
arm that wielded it in battle must be unconquerable. 

The captain did not see fit to disabuse the minds of the super- 



THE IRON KNIFE. I 85 

stitious natives in their disposition to attribute a power of almost 
unlimited slaughter to the simple weapon. On the contrary, he 
rarely exhibited it except to distinguished ciiiefs, and in a few 
months it began to be mentioned as a sacred gift of the gods and 
pledge of victory to him who possessed it. Nor was the know- 
ledge of the existence of a talisman so wonderful long confined to 
the windward side of Maui. The fame of the terrible weapon 
spread from Hana to Kaanapali, and thence to the other islands 
of the group ; and if but few of the many who came to learn the 
truth of the report were favored with a view of the sword, all saw, 
at least, the strange people who were pointed out as the bearers 
of it from an unknown land, and the story of its powers was 
readily accepted. But he who possessed it did not come as a 
conqueror, and, as he showed no disposition to use it offensively, 
the weapon ceased to be regarded with alarm. 

And now we will return to Kalaunui and his army of con- 
quest, last seen on their way to Maui in a fleet of two thousand 
canoes. Sailing to the western division of the island, which was 
reached in two days, Kalaunui effected a landing of his army at 
Lahaina. Kamaluohua, the moi of the island, had learned of the 
projected invasion some days before, and made every preparation 
possible to meet and repel it. Lunapais, or war-messengers, had 
been despatched to the several district chiefs, and an army of 
seven or eight thousand warriors of all arms had been hastily 
collected. Wakalana had gone to the general defence with a 
force of eight hundred men, including Kaluiki, the Japanese 
captain, upon whose presence great reliance was placed by the 
warriors of Wailuku, if not by Wakalana himself. 

Unable to land at Lahaina, which was in possession of the 
enemy, Kamaluohua marched his forces across the mountains, 
and a sanguinary battle was fought in the neighborhood of the 
village. But the Mauians, greatly outnumbered, were defeated 
and driven back to the hills, and their king was taken prisoner. 
Throughout the battle Kualu was especially conspicuous for his 
might and courage. Armed with a huge stone axe, everything 
human seemed to fall before him, and where he led the bravest 
alone followed, for he sought the very heart of danger. 

The conflict was drawing to a close. The 77101, gallantly 
lighting, had been taken prisoner, and his decimated battalions 
were steadily giving way, when Kualu encountered a body of 



1 86 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

two or three hundred men resolutely defending themselves behind 
a low stone wall. Several ineffectual attempts to dislodge them 
had been made, and they were sending forth shouts of victory 
and defiance. Something had inspired them with unusual cour- 
age and confidence. Did Kualu divine what it was ? Perhaps 
he did, for, hastily rallying to his support a force of sturdy 
warriors, he fought his way over the wall, and a determined hand- 
to-hand struggle followed. Meantime a flanking party of spears- 
men had made a circuit around the wall and were menacing its 
defenders in the rear. Observing the peril of the situation, and 
that an effort was being made to cut off their retreat to the hills, 
the Mauians began to fall back. As they did so Kualu was seen 
to dash forward and precipitate himself, almost unsupported, 
upon a score or two of warriors who had apparently rallied to 
the assistance of some chief in distress. Regardless of danger, 
he hewed his way through the battling throng until he stood face 
to face with Kaluiki, the white captain, in whose hand was the 
shining blade which had so nerved the arms of the warriors of 
Wailuku. AVith a blow of his battle-axe he struck the sword from 
the upraised hand of the strange warrior. As it fell to the earth 
he placed his foot upon it, and yielded no ground until the tide 
of battle swept around and past him, forcing to retreat the last 
to present a hostile front of the army of the captive king of 
Maui. 

Left alone for a moment by the wild pursuit of the flying 
enemy, Kualu hurriedly stooped and thrust the sword into the 
earth, pressing it downward until the hilt was covered; then, 
placing a large rock upon the spot, he left the field, numbering, 
as he went, his paces to the wall behind which the Mauians had 
sought protection. 

The victory was complete. The inoi was a prisoner, and such 
of his army as had not escaped to the hills lay dead on the field. 
The country was given over to pillage, and at sunset twenty pris- 
oners were slain and sacrificed in a heiau near the village. The 
sacrifices were made to his war-god, and Kalaunui witnessed the 
solemn ceremonies of the offering. 

The night was spent in the wildest revelry by the victorious 
warriors, in the midst of which Kualu sought his foster-mother, 
who, with the women and non-combatants of the invading army, 
was encamped near the canoes on the beach. He hastily recited 



THE IRON KNIFE. 1 8 7 

to her the events of the day, and concluded with the information 
that he had captured the long, bright knife of the strange chief of 
Wailuku, and, believing it to be of great value, had hidden it in 
the earth. At this intelligence the eyes of Waahia flashed with 
satisfaction. 

" You have done well," said the kaula, rising to her feet. " I 
have seen that long knife in my dreams. It will have much to do 
with your future. But it will be unsafe in your possession. Give 
it to me. Give it to me at once," she repeated, " for should 
Kalaunui by any chance learn that it was taken in battle, he will 
claim it." 

" But I am sure no one saw me hide it," replied Kualu. 

" You talk like a boy," returned Waahia. ''You must be sure 
of nothing of which there is a possibility of doubt. But no 
matter. It is not too dark to find the spot to-night. Let us go 
to it at once." 

Excited by her words, Kualu now became no less anxious 
than the kaula that the sword should be placed in her keeping, 
and in an indirect way, to avoid observation, they repaired to 
the battle-field. Their only light was that of the stars, and after 
reaching the wall it was some time before Kualu was able to 
identify the exact place to which he had extended the line of his 
hasty measurement. The ground was strewn with the naked 
bodies of the slain, and occasional groans came from a few whose 
struggles with death were not quite over. But no emotion, either 
of dread or pity, disturbed the visitors. 

Satisfied at length that he had found the desired place in the 
wall, Kualu took a careful bearing, and then stepped briskly 
toward the north, closely followed by Waahia. Measuring a 
hundred paces or more, he suddenly stopped, and with alarm dis- 
covered what seemed to be the form of a man crouching beside 
the rock marking the spot where the sword had been buried. 
Grasping \\\?, pahoa — the only weapon he had brought with him — 
Kualu sprang forward and placed his hand upon the object. It 
was cold and motionless ; and the young warrior smiled as the 
thought came to him that some one of the many who had fallen 
under his axe that day had possibly crawled to the spot to guard 
his treasure in death. He lifted the body aside, removed the 
stone, and the next moment pulled from the earth and handed 
to Waahia the iron blade. She grasped it eagerly, and, with a 



1 88 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

hasty glance at its bright blade glistening in the starlight, wrapped 
it securely in a piece of kapa and placed it under her mantle. 

Without attracting especial notice they returned to the beach. 
When importuned by Kualu to tell him something definite of his 
future, Waahia revealed to him much that would happen ; but all 
had not yet been given to her, and she admonished him to keep 
his lips closed and patiently await the development of the will of 
the gods. " I can see victories to come," said the kaula, " but 
in the end defeat and disaster." 

" But if disaster is to come to us in the end," suggested Kualu, 
" why should it not mean defeat and death to me ? " 

" I can give no reason why it should not ; but the gods sel- 
dom explain their acts to mortals, and I am content in seeing 
your star shining above the ruin of Kalaunui." 

So spoke the kaula, and, cheered by her words, Kualu 
sought his tent of mats, and on a hard couch of kapa dreamed 
of a long, bright knife, and of battles in which he hewed down 
armies with it. 

Taking his royal captive with him, the second day after the 
battle Kalaunui set sail with his army for the island of Molokai, 
of which Kahokuohua was the alii-nui, or governing chief. No 
force adequate to cope with the invading army could be rallied ; 
but the chivalrous descendant of the ancient kings of Hawaii was 
not a ruler to allow his subjects to be plundered without resist, 
ance, and, hastily gathering an army of four or five thousand war- 
riors, he gave the invaders battle at Kalaupapa. But he was de- 
feated and taken prisoner, and after ravaging the country for 
miles around, and destroying every captured canoe of which he 
could make no use, Kalaunui sailed for the conquest of Oahu 
with the two royal captives in his train. 

Waahia still accompanied the expedition. But the iron knife 
was not with her. The king had from some source learned that 
its glitter had been seen on the battle-field at Lahaina, and she 
had hidden it in a cleft of the black rocks of the pali encircling 
Kalaupapa. 

As already stated, Oahu was at that time governed by a 
number of practically independent chiefs. The most powerful of 
these, and possibly recognized alti-nm of the island, was Hua- 
pouleilei, chief of the Ewa and Waianae districts, to which 
division Kalaunui directed his fleet. Landing his forces at 



THE IRON KNIFE. 1 89 

Waianae, a sanguinary battle was fought near that place, result- 
ing in the defeat of the Oahuans and the capture of Huapou- 
leilei. 

Elated with his successes, and deeming himself invincible, 
Kalaunui next prepared for a descent upon Kauai and the con- 
quest of the entire group. But his plans for so formidable an 
undertaking were faulty. He took no steps to consolidate his 
conquests or maintain possession of the lands subdued by his 
arms. He left behind him no friend or stronghold on the con- 
quered islands, blindly trusting, no doubt, that in the persons of 
his royal prisoners he retained, for the time being, a sufficiently 
firm hold upon their lands and subjects. 

Before embarking for Kauai elaborate sacrifices were offered, 
and every device known to the priesthood was exhausted to 
secure a continuance of the favor of the gods. The 7noi of that 
island was Kukona, the fourth in descent from the great Laa- 
mai-kahiki. Kalaunui recog'nized that the defensive resources of 
Kauai were not to be despised, but he as greatly underrated the 
military abilities of Kukona as he overrated his own, and there- 
fore did not doubt the result. 

Waahia saw disaster approaching, but knew that Kalaunui 
would not listen to her voice of warning, and therefore remained 
silent when the kilos, anxious to please the king, shaped their 
inauspicious auguries into promises of victory. Her greatest 
solicitude was for Kualu. He had been entrusted with an im- 
portant command, and could find no honorable pretext for 
declining to accept the hazard of the final struggle on Kauai. 
Waahia, therefore, did not advise him to remain, for she had seen 
his star shining above the clouds of defeat. She had sought fre- 
quent and earnest counsel of the mysterious intelligences of the 
earth and air. She had seen their answers in the smoke of burn- 
ing incense, and within the circle of blood at midnight, when the 
moon was dark, had heard their whispers. Hence it was with 
confidence that she said to Kualu, on the evening before the de- 
parture of the fleet for Kauai : 

" Yes, you must go. I can be of no service to you where the 
air will be filled with spears and the canoes will be painted red 
with blood. I will return to Hawaii. You will be defeated. 
Kukona is a brave and skilful warrior, and the army of Kalaunui, 
will be rent in pieces and thrown into the sea. The slaughter 



190 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

will be great, but circumstances will open a way and you will 
escape." 

"And should I escape, where will I find you?" inquired 
Kualu. 

" Among the owls in the old hut in Waipio," replied the 
kaula. 

" And the long knife ? " 

"The long knife is where I alone can find it," answered 
Waahia. " Leave the secret to me ; it will be of service to us yet." 

Early next morning the army of Kalaunui set sail for Kau- 
ai, and with it, as prisoners, the mois of Maui and Molokai and 
the alii-md of Oahu. At the same time Waahia embarked for 
Hawaii, taking with her the war-god of the king. Traditions 
differ concerning the circumstances under which the god was 
delivered to the prophetess. One asserts that she refused to hold 
her peace or leave the expedition without it ; another that the 
king, annoyed by her ill-omened words and presence, purchased 
her departure with it ; and a third that it was given to her in defer- 
ence to her declaration that, if taken to Kauai, it would not return 
except at the head of a conquering army that would make a tribu- 
tary kingdom of Hawaii. Certain it is, however, that Waahia 
returned to Hawaii from Oahu with the war-god of the king. It 
was the sacred Akuapaao, or war-god of Paao, and was held in 
great reverence by the priesthood. Borne over the waters by 
unseen forces, the canoe of Waahia was stranded on the beach at 
Koholalele, on the island of Hawaii. Not far off was the old 
heiau of Manini, and thither the god was conveyed, and placed in 
the custody of the high-priest of the temple, with the injunction 
that it was never to be removed from the inner court, or sanctu- 
ary, unless the kingdom was in peril. Six generations after it 
was taken from the heiau by the giant Maukaleoleo, and carried 
at the head of the victorious army of Umi, as mentioned in the 
legend of " Umi, the Peasant Prince of Hawaii." 

Five hundred canoes had been added to the fleet of Kalaunui, 
and the imposing squadron seemed to stretch half across the 
wide channel separating the two islands. A landing was made at 
Koloa, and the entire army disembarked without opposition. The 
district seemed to be deserted, and not a hostile spear was visible. 
And so continued the peaceful aspect until daylight the next 
morning, when Kukona, supported by every prominent chief of 



THE IRON KNIFE. I9I 

Kauai, suddenly precipitated upon the invaders from the sur- 
rounding hills an army of ten thousand warriors. Nor this alone. 
Along the westward coast was seen approaching a fleet of nearly 
a thousand war-canoes, with the manifest design of capturing 
or destroying the canoes of the Hawaiians and cutting off their 
retreat by sea. Hastily forming his lines to meet the avalafiche 
from the hills, Kalaunui despatched Kualu to the beach with a 
force of three thousand warriors to protect the canoes. 

The attacks by land and sea were almost simultaneous, and 
the battle was one of the most stubborn and sanguinary ever 
fought in the group. As predicted by Waahia, the air was filled 
with spears and the canoes were painted red with blood. Stand- 
ing in the water to their hips, Kualu and his warriors met their 
enemies as they attempted to land, and a struggle of the wildest 
description followed. Canoes were upset ; men were hauled into 
them and killed, and out of them and drowned, and for a distance 
of three or four hundred yards in the surf along the beach raged 
a desperate conflict, dreadful even to savage eyes. In their fury 
they fought in, above and under the water, and hundreds fiercely 
grappled and without a wound sank to their deaths together. 
Neither would yield, and in the end resistance ceased, and Kualu 
saw the beach strewn with dead, a thousand tenantless canoes 
idly playing with the surf, and less than as many hundreds of war- 
riors left as he had led thousands into the fight. He had saved 
the fleet, but the sacrifice of life had been terrible. 

Despatching a messenger to the king, and speedily reorgan- 
izing the remnant of his force, Kualu was about to leave the 
beach for service where he might most be needed, when he dis- 
covered, with horror, that the Hawaiian army had been defeated, 
ijand in scattered fragments was seeking flight in all directions. 
iHarassed by pursuit, a thousand or more were fighting and 
[struggling to reach the beach. Satisfied that the battle was lost, 
[to facilitate the escape of the fugitives Kualu ordered a large 
Lumber of canoes to be hastily equipped and launched, and then 
started back to assist in covering the retreat. But his men 
refused to follow him. Knowing the danger of delay, all but a 
few of them leaped into canoes and paddled out to sea. As he 
could do nothing more, he selected a canoe suitable to the four 
persons who were to occupy it, and with his three remaining com- 
panions passed through the surf and headed for Oahu. 



192 THE LEGENDS A AD MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

Kualu did not escape a moment too soon. He had scarcely- 
stemmed the surf before the fugitives, abandoning all defence, 
made a precipitate dash for the canoes, closely followed by their 
pursuers. In their haste they shoved out in canoes some of 
which were overburdened and others but half-manned. A 
number of the former foundered in the surf, and such of the 
latter as succeeded in passing the breakers were overtaken by the 
canoes sent in pursuit. Nor did but few escape of the two or 
three hundred who preceded Kualu in his flight. Some of them 
embarked in double canoes which they were unable to manage, 
and others were either without sails or short of paddles. The 
result was that less than a hundred of the fugitives escaped cap- 
ture, and of that number probably not more than twenty or thirty 
succeeded in reaching the other islands of the group, for the sea 
was rough and but few of them were skilled in navigation. 
Among these were Kualu and his companions. 

Almost from the beginning the sudden attack of Kukona from 
the hills had been a slaughter. The withdrawal of three thou- 
sand spears for the protection of his canoes had weakened the 
lines of Kalaunui at an exposed point, and, breaking through 
them, the Kauaians so vigorously followed up the advantage that 
no effort could save the Hawaiians from defeat. They fought 
bravely and with desperation ; but the breaking of their lines had 
left them without any definite plan of action, and defeat was 
inevitable. Kalaunui's courage was conspicuous, but after an 
hour's hopeless struggle he saw his brave battalions melting to 
the earth and giving way at all points. Recognizing that the 
battle was lost, and that what was left of his army would soon be in 
wild retreat, he attempted to cut his way through to the beach, but 
was intercepted and taken prisoner. Learning his rank, he was 
taken by his captors to Kukona, and a few minutes later the 
royal chiefs of Maui, Molokai and Oahu, with their arms corded 
behind their backs, appeared on the scene. Deserted by their 
guards, they had been found in a hut not far from the beach and 
brought to the victorious moi. 

It was a historic group, that meeting on the battle-field of 
Koloa of the five principal sovereigns of the archipelago. Had 
Kukona been ambitious the means were at his command to 
become the supreme head of the island group ; but he thought 
only of the future peace of Kauai, and promptly dismissed from 



THE IRON KNIFE. 1 93 

liis mind all dreams of broader fields of empire, well knowing 
that, were he able to seize the mastery of the group, he could not 
hope to long maintain it. 

Not a word of jeering or of triumph passed between Kalaunui 
and the captive chiefs as they stood before Kukona, for the 
uha alii of the period — the chiefs of accepted rank — commanded 
the respect, not only of the untitled, but of each other, even in 
bondage and in death. Kukona had met the alii-nui of Oahu in 
his own dominions some years before, and recognized him at 
once, but the kings of Maui and Molokai were strangers to him. 
Being informed of their rank and the circumstances of their cap- 
tivity, he ordered them to be liberated at once, and with his own 
hands removed the cords from the arms of his royal friend from 
Oahu. 

The rescued princes were at once returned with befitting 
escorts to their own possessions, but Kalaunui was retained as a 
prisoner of war. But few of the invading army escaped. The 
victory was celebrated with elaborate sacrifices and general 
rejoicing throughout the island. The captured arms and canoes 
were divided among the assisting chiefs, and peace reigned again 
on Kauai. 

Kukona had secured the lasting friendship of the chiefs of 
Oahu, Maui and Molokai, and therefore did not fear the retalia- 
tion of Hawaii. But, as a guarantee of peace, he kept Kalaunui 
a prisoner, rightly surmising that, if the ruling powers of Hawaii 
really valued the life of the captive king, they would not imperil 
it by attempting his release by force, and if they did not greatly 
value it he would be left to his fate or the chances of peaceful 
negotiation. 

ni. 

Escaping from Koloa, Kualu and his companions made sail 
for Hawaii, stopping for supplies at such intermediate points as 
they deemed safe on the coasts of Oahu, Molokai and Maui, and 
■on the evening of the sixth day arrived at Waipio. They were 
the first to bring to Hawaii the news of the defeat of Kalaunui on 
Kauai, and when the people learned that the army had been de- 
stroyed the land was filled with wailing. 

Appearing at once before Kaheka and her son, Kualu re- 
cited to them the story of the dreadful battle, but was unable 



194 ^^^ LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

to tell them definitely of the fate of Kalaunui. The grief of the 
queen was great, and found strange and unreasonable expression 
in charging Kualu with cowardice and ordering him from the 
palace. In vain he protested against the ungenerous treatment. 
She had never liked him, especially since discovering that he had 
secured something more than the good-will of Kapapa, and it 
seemed monstrous to her that he should have survived Kalaunui 
and the scores of gallant chiefs who fell with him. She cruelly 
intimated that it was more than probable that, with the force sent 
to protect the fleet, he had embarked in the canoes without 
striking a blow, thus treacherously depriving the defeated army 
of its sole means of escape. 

Had these monstrous charges been made by a man Kualu 
would have answered them with blows ; but, as they were the 
foolish and inconsiderate ravings of a woman, without venturing 
further reply he took his leave, and with a heart filled with stifled 
rage and anguish strode from the palace. 

Proceeding up the valley, Kualu entered the hut of Waahia. 
He found the kaida alone, as usual. She knew he was coming, 
but was none the less rejoiced to meet him. With a word or twO' 
of greeting he sat down in silence. The cruel words of Kaheka 
still stuck like thorns in his throat. Waahia regarded him 
intently for a time, and then said : 

" I know it all. Kalaunui's army has been destroyed. You 
escaped in a canoe with three others." 

" And Kalaunui ? " questioned Kualu, not a little amazed at 
the correctness of her information. 

" Is a prisoner," replied the kaula. 

" Thank the gods for that ! " exclaimed the chief vehemently. 
" He must be liberated, for he can tell her that in escaping I 
acted neither with cowardice nor treachery ! " 

" Tell whom ? " inquired the kaula. 

"Kaheka," answered Kualu. "She charges me with coward- 
ice and desertion." 

" Then Kaheka accuses you of what I know to be false ! '" 
said Waahia. 

"Yes," returned the chief; "but the witnesses to my fidelity 
are few and humble, and the words of the king can alone relieve 
me in the eyes of the aha alii of the disgrace with which the 
charges of Kaheka will cover me." 



THE IRON KNIFE. 



195 



" True," replied the ,^««/a, encouragingly ; "but the disgrace 
will not be lasting, for the king will return to do you justice." 

" When will he return ? " eagerly inquired the chief. 

" I cannot tell," answered Waahia ; " but I know that his rule 
is not yet at an end in Hawaii, and you must be patient." 

And Kualu promised to be patient, and for a few days bore the 
neglect and frowns of his former friends, and the sneers and 
covert insults of his enemies. But when the heartless accusations 
of Kaheka, passing from tongue to tongue with the news of the 
dreadful slaughter, became generally known, and almost as gene- 
rally believed, notwithstanding the statements of his three com- 
panions to the contrary, Kualu's indignation could no longer be 
restrained, and he challenged to combat and slew on the spot a 
chief who, in the presence of a party of friends, repeated the 
charges to his face. Great excitement followed, and in his despera- 
tion and wrath Kualu invited the friends of his fallen defamer, 
one and all, to test his courage then or thereafter. 

As the life of Kualu was now in constant and undoubted peril, 
Waahia advised him to leave Hawaii for a time, and together they 
set sail for Molokai, and took up their residence at Kalaupapa. 
But before leaving Waipio the kaiila called upon the high-priest, 
by whom she was held in great respect, and told him where she 
might be found on Molokai, should her services be required. 

" And they will be required," said Waahia, significantly. " Ka- 
launui is not dead, and when you shall have failed in all your 
efforts to liberate him, tell Kaheka to think better of Kualu and 
send for me." 

" How know you that Kalaunui still lives ? " inquired the 
priest. 

"Should the high-priest of Pakaalani ask me that question ?" 
replied Waahia. " Where are his seers ? Where are the kilos of 
the temple, who in the heavens saw victory for Kalaunui where I 
beheld defeat ? Have they not been consulted ? " 

"All do not see with the eyes of Waahia," returned the priest, 
evasively. 

Flattered by this recognition of her superiority, the kaula 
said, as she turned to depart : " You will know more to-morrow ! " 
And an hour after, accompanied by Kualu, she left Waipio for 
Molokai. 

The priest was not deceived by Waahia, for the day after 



196 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

authentic intelligence was received from Maui to the effect that 
Kalaunui's campaign had been a failure in Kauai, and the king 
was a prisoner in the hands of Kukona. The leading chiefs were 
called together in council, and several projects for the liberation 
of the king were advanced and discussed. Kaheka was in fa- 
vor of raising a powerful army at once, and bringing her royal 
husband back by force ; but when it was considered by cooler 
heads that Kukona was undoubtedly well prepared for war, and 
had secured the friendship, and in an emergency could command 
the support, of the chiefs of Maui, Oahu and Molokai, the sugges- 
tion was dismissed as dangerous and impracticable. 

Under the circumstances it was finally resolved to attempt 
the liberation of Kalaunui through negotiation ; and to this end 
messengers were despatched to Kauai with offers of a large num- 
ber of canoes, spears and other war materials in exchange for the 
royal prisoner. But the surrender of Kalaunui's fleet, and the 
capture of thousands of spears and other arms, had given Kukona 
a great abundance of both, and he declined the offer. 

Failing in this, after a lapse of some months messengers were 
again sent to Kukona with a proffer of twenty full-sized ?najnos, 
or royal feather cloaks, a canoe-load of ivory and whalebone, and 
a thousand stone lipis, or axes, of a superior kind peculiar ta 
Hawaii. The messengers were courteously received and listened 
to, but the offer was not accepted. 

War was again urged by Kaheka, but the chiefs refused to 
embark in an undertaking so hazardous, and without their sup- 
port she could do nothing. And so for more than two years. 
Kalaunui remained in captivity, when a third attempt to ransom 
him was made. Kaheka despatched to Kauai two ambassadors of 
high rank, offering her daughter Kapapa in marriage either to 
Kukona or his son, Manokalanipo, and promising perpetual peace 
between the islands. This offer was also declined, and Kukona 
refused to name to the ambassadors the terms upon which he 
would treat for the liberation of their king. 

It now became a question either of war or the abandonment 
of Kalaunui to his fate. In this dilemma the priests and kaulas^ 
were consulted, but their predictions were vague and their coun- 
sels unsatisfactory. Remembering the words of Waahia, the high- 
priest sought the presence of Kaheka, and advised her to send 
for the old prophetess, who was living with her foster-son at 



THE IRON KNIFE. IC^'J 

Kalaupapa. This, after some persuasion, she consented to do, 
and, despatching a chief of high rank to Molokai, with the admis- 
sion that she had accused Kualu unjustly, the kaula was induced 
to return with the messenger to Waipio. But Kualu did not 
accompany her. She was suspicious of Kaheka, and advised him 
to remain at Kalaupapa. 

Arriving at Waipio, the kaula, feeling that the game was now 
in her own hands, informed the high-priest that she would com- 
municate with the leading chiefs of the kingdom convened in 
council. The chiefs were accordingly assembled, and Waahia 
appeared before them. Kaheka was present, as the kaula desired. 

With a staff in her hand, capped with the head of an owl, and 
her long, white hair falling to her waist, there was something 
weird and awe-inspiring in the appearance of the venerable pro- 
phetess as she entered the council-room and bowed low before 
Kaheka and the assembled chiefs. It was not her privilege to 
break the silence without permission, and when it had been for- 
mally accorded she raised her eyes, and, without especially ad- 
dressing any one, said : 

" Why have I been sent for ? " 

No one could answer, not even Kaheka. 

At length an old chief, after conferring with those around him, 
replied : 

" You have been sent for on the word of the high-priest, and 
with the hope that you might be able to point out a way for the 
return of Kalaunui to Hawaii. Can you do so?" 

" I can speak of no way," answered the kaula. 

"Then you can do nothing ?" returned the chief. 

" My words were that I could speak of no way, nor can I," 
said the kaula ; " yet, keeping my own counsel, I might possibly 
be able to accomplish what you all desire." 

" And will you undertake to do so ? " inquired Kaheka. 

"Yes, on one condition," was the prompt reply. 

"Well, what do you ask for attempting to save the life of your 
king?" returned the queen, in a tone of rebuke. 

Waahia did not like the spirit of the inquiry, and a scowl 
darkened her wrinkled face as she replied : 

"I might ask that, if the gods willed that I should fail, Kahe- 
ka would not charge me with treachery ! " 

This reference to the treatment of Kualu created a feeling of 



198 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

uneasiness among the chiefs ; but, without inviting remark or 
explanation, the kaiila continued : 

" What I require is a pledge from every chief here that, should 
I succeed in liberating Kalaunui, the terms of the release, what- 
ever they may be, will be complied with." 

The chiefs hesitated, as it was not impossible that the sovereign- 
ty of the island might be offered to Kukona by the prophetess, 
and they could not pledge themselves to a sacrifice involving 
their own ruin. Waahia relieved their apprehensions, however, 
by assuring them that the pledge would not be considered bind- 
ing if the terms affected either the sovereignty of the island or 
the lives, possessions or prerogatives of its chiefs. With this assur- 
ance the members of the council, after briefly discussing the pos- 
sibilities of the obligation, consented to accept it. Thereupon 
the pledge was carefully repeated thrice by the chiefs, and each 
in turn solemnly invoked upon himself, should he fail to keep 
and observe it in its fulness, the wrath of Hikapoloa, the divine 
trinity, and the swift and especial vengeance of Kicahana, the 
slayer of men. 

" Are you satisfied now ? " inquired Kaheka. 

" I am satisfied," replied the kaula. 

" Do you require assistance ?" This inquiry came from more 
than one. 

" Only of the gods ! " was the impressive answer of Waahia, 
as she left th^ council and slowly wended her way up the valley. 

All night long strange lights flashed at intervals through the 
weather-rent openings in the kaula s hut. Shadowy forms were 
seen to move noiselessly around it ; owls came and went as the 
lights vanished and reappeared ; and, just as the sun began to 
paint the east, Waahia proceeded to the beach, and with a single 
sturdy assistant of supernatural aspect embarked in a canoe 
which seemed to be equipped and provisioned for a long voyage. 
This was the ghostly narration of two or three of the nearest 
neighbors of the prophetess, and the truth of the story was not 
dowbted, even when it reached the palace. Doubtless the plain 
facts were that Waahia spent the most of the night in preparing 
for the voyage, and set sail early in the morning with an assistant 
known to be trustworthy and familiar with the sea. 

Waahia proceeded very leisurely to Kauai. The annual feast 
of Lono was approaching, and as she desired to arrive there dur- 



THE IRON KNIFE. 1 99 

ing the festival, which would not be for some days, she spent the 
intervening time in visiting many sacred spots and noted temples 
on Maui, Oahu, Molokai and Lanai. Perhaps to commune with 
the honored dead, she made a pilgrimage to the sacred valley 
of lao, on the island of Maui, where were buried many of the 
distinguished kings and chiefs of the group. She stopped at 
Kalaupapa, on Molokai, to confer with Kualu, and while there 
paid a visit to the home, near Kaluakoi, of Laamaomao, the wind- 
god, who came from the south with Moikeha more than a century 
before ; and in the same valley visited the dreaded spot where, in 
the reign of Kamauaua, the father of Kaupeepee, the abductor of 
Hina, near the close of the eleventh century, sprang up in a night 
the poisoned grove of Kalaipahoa, or, according to another tradi- 
tion, where that goddess, belonging to a family of southern deities, 
visited the group with two of her sisters, and entered and poi- 
soned a small grove of trees of natural growth. 

From one of these poisonous trees the famous idol of Kalai- 
pahoa was made. So poisonous was the wood that many died in 
cutting down the tree and carving the image, for all perished 
whose flesh was touched by the chips ; but the workmen finally 
covered their bodies with kapa, including masks for their faces 
and wraps for their hands, and thus succeeded in completing the 
dangerous task without farther loss of life. But a single image 
was made. It remained with the ruling family of Molokai until 
the subjugation of the group by Kamehameha I., when it came 
into his possession, and at his death, in 1819, was divided among 
-a few of the principal chiefs. Two fragments of the image, it is 
said, are still preserved, but they are carefully guarded and never 
exhibited to eyes sceptical or profane. Long before Waahia 
visited the spot the last vestige of the grove had disappeared, 
tut for many acres around where the terrible trees once stood 
the earth was black and bare. Within the dreaded area no living 
thing was seen, and birds fell dead in flying over it. But the 
kaula entered it and returned unharmed, to the amazement of 
more than one witness. 

Waahia next visited the heiaii of Kaumolu, which was then a 
puhonua, or place of refuge, and in another temple near the coast 
■offered sacrifices to the shark-god Mooalii. By reputation she was 
generally known to the priesthood of the group, and was nowhere 
regarded as an intruder in places sacred to worship. 



200 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 

Stopping at Ewa, on the island of Oahu, she saw for the first 
time the hallowed enclosure of Kukaniloko, the creation of Nana- 
kaoko, son of Nanamaoa, the earliest arrival from the south of the 
migratory stream of the eleventh century. Chiefs born there were 
endowed with especial prerogatives and distinctions, and the beat- 
ing of a sacred drum called hawea gave notice without of the 
birth of a tabu chief. 

IV. 

The winter solstice, which marked the end of the Hawaiian 
year, was at hand, to be followed by the usual five days' feast of 
Lono, and Waahia so timed her voyage as to arrive on Kauai the 
day before the festival began. She quietly landed at Koloa, and 
as far as possible avoided observation by taking up her residence 
in a small hut secured by her companion well back in the neigh- 
boring hills. 

These annual festivals of Lono were seasons of universal mer- 
riment and rejoicing. The god was crowned and ornamented 
with leis of flowers and feathers, and unstinted offerings of pigs, 
fowls and fruits were laid upon the altars of the temples conse- 
crated to his worship. Chiefs and people alike gave themselves 
unreservedly over to feasting, dancing, singing and the indul- 
gence of almost every appetite and caprice, and the Saturnalias of 
the old Romans gave to the masses scarcely more license than the 
festivals of Lono. Every instrument of music known to the peo- 
ple — and they possessed but four or five of the simplest kinds — 
was brought into requisition, and for five days there was almost an 
uninterrupted tumult of revelry. Lakakane, the hula god, was 
decorated and brought out, and every variety of the dance was 
given — some of them to the time of vocal recitations and others 
to the noisier accompaniment of pipes, drums and rattling cala- 
bashes. In the midst of these enjoyments long-bearded bards 
appeared before the king and distinguished chiefs, and while some 
of them recited wild historic tales of the past, others chanted the 
mele-iiioas and sang of the personal exploits of their titled listeners. 
Awa and other intoxicating drinks were freely indulged in by 
those who craved them, and the festivals were usually followed 
by a week or more of general languor and worthlessness. 

It was the third day of the festival at Koloa. The gates of the 



THE IRON KNIFE. 201 

enclosure had been thrown open, and thousands of people thronged 
around the royal mansion in a grove near which large quantities 
of refreshments were spread on the ground in huge wooden trays 
and calabashes. The feast was free to all, and Kukona lounged 
on a pile of kapa in the deep shade of the trees in front of 
the palace, happy in witnessing the enjoyment of his subjects. 
Around him were standing a number of chiefs of high rank. 
A kahili of bright feathers was occasionally and unobtrusively 
waved above his head by ihe paakahili, and the iwikuaijioo, aipuu- 
puu and other of his personal attendants, all of the lesser nobility, 
stood in readiness to respond to his slightest wishes. A guard 
of inferior chiefs kept the crowd from pressing too closely the 
distinguished group, but from time to time, as permission was 
granted, select bands of dancers and musicians and chanters of 
ability were allowed to approach and entertain the royal party 
with specimens of their skill and erudition. 

A company of dancers had just retired, when Waahia, with a 
staff in her hand, and wearing a short mantle, indicating that she 
claimed privileges of dress which were not accorded to women 
generally, asked permission to be admitted to the presence of the 
king. Her strange appearance excited the curiosity of Kukona, 
and she was allowed to approach. Kneeling and touching her 
forehead to the ground, she rose and asked if it was the pleasure 
of the king to hear her. As these ceremonies, due to supreme 
authority, were usually waived on such occasions, it was surmised 
that the woman must be a stranger in Kauai. She was told to 
speak. A ??wooela, or historic chant, was expected ; but in a full, 
sharp voice she chanted these words : 



" O the long knife of the stranger, 
Of the stranger from other lands, 
Of the stranger with sparkling e3'es, 
Of the stranger with a white face ! 
O long knife of Lotto, the gift of Loito ; 
It flashes like fire in the sun ; 
Its edge is sharper than stone, 
Sharper than the hard stone of Hualalai ; 
The spear touches it and breaks, 
The strong warrior sees it and dies ! 
Where is the long knife of the stranger ? 
Where is the sacred gift of Lono ? 



202 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF H4 WAIL 

It came to Wailuku and is lost, 
It was seen at Lahaina and cannot be found. 
He is more than a chief who finds it, 
He is a chief of chiefs who possesses it. 
Maui cannot spoil his fields, 
Hawaii cannot break his nets ; 
His canoes are safe from Kauai ; 
The chiefs of Oahu will not oppose him, 
The chiefs of Molokai will bend at his feet. 
O long knife of the stranger, 
O bright knife of Loiio ! 
Who has seen it ? Who has found it ? 
Has it been hidden away in the earth ? 
Has the great sea swallowed it ? 
Does the kilo see it among the stars ? 
Can the kaula find it in the bowels of the black hog? 
Will a voice from the ami answer? 
- Will the priests of Lono speak ? 
The kilo is silent, the kaula is dumb. 
O long knife of the stranger, 

O bright knife of Lono, > 

It is lost, it is lost, it is lost ! " 



At the conclusion of the chant, which was listened to with 
attention, the kaula bowed and disappeared in the crowd. Ku- 
kona had heard of the long knife, and Waahia's description of 
its powers interested him greatly. He despatched a messenger to 
the high-priest, ordering that the diviners at once be put to the 
task of discovering the hiding-place of the sacred weapon. 

On the following afternoon Waahia appeared before the king 
and his chiefs, and with the same ceremonies repeated her chant 
of the day before. The high-priest was summoned, and informed 
the king that his diviners had as yet discovered no trace of the 
long knife. 

The third day Waahia appeared and repeated her chant be- 
fore the king, and silently withdrew, as before. Again the high- 
priest was summoned, but was able to offer no assurance that 
the long knife would be found by the kaJmnas. They had re- 
sorted to every means of inspiration and magic known to them, 
but could discover no clue to the mystery. 

" Who is this woman who for three successive days has told 
us of the lost knife ? " inquired Kukona, addressing the chiefs 
surrounding him. 



THE IRON KNIFE. 203 

No one seemed to be able to answer. Finally the master of 
ceremonies stepped forward and replied : 

" The woman, I think, is VVaahia, the noted prophetess of 
Hawaii. I saw her fifteen years ago in Waipio, and am quite 
sure that I remember her face." 

The name, if not the face, of the distinguished seeress was 
known to the king and many others present, and the high-priest, 
anxious to explain the failure of his magicians, bowed and said : 

"The master of ceremonies has doubtless spoken truly. 
The woman must be Waahia. Her powers are great, and a 
secret in her keeping is beyond the reach of the kaulas." 

Accepting this explanation of the high-priest, Kukona order- 
ed the prophetess to be found and respectfully conducted to the 
royal mansion ; but after a fruitless search of two days it was 
reported that she had probably left the valley, and therefore 
could not be found. 

Irritated at what seemed to be the inefficiency or neglect of 
his kaulas and chiefs, Kukona was about to attach a death- 
penalty to further failure when Waahia suddenly entered the 
royal enclosure and approached the palace. Her appearance 
was most welcome to the attending chiefs, and she was ushered 
at once into the presence of the king. So delighted was Kukona 
at the imexpected visit that he rose unconsciously to his feet 
and greeted the prophetess. This breach of courtly form amazed 
the attendants of the king, and suggested to them that the 
strange visitor must be of supreme rank ; but before any ex- 
planation could be gathered they were ordered to retire, even to 
ih.e paakahili, and Kukona was left alone with the kaula. 

The king motioned his visitor to a lounge of kapa, for she 
seemed to be old and feeble, and he had a favor to ask. Seating 
herself, as requested, the king approached, and, in a voice that 
could not well be overheard, said : 

" Are you Waahia, the prophetess of Hawaii ? " 

" I am Waahia," answered the kaula. 

" You have chanted of the long knife of the stranger, of the 
bright knife of Lono, of the lost knife of Wailuku," resumed Ku- 
kona. " Our diviners can give me no information concerning 
it." 

Waahia smiled significantly, but made no reply, and the king 
continued : 



204 



THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 



" They say you have tabued the secret, and others, therefore, 
cannot share it. Is it so ? " 

" Perhaps," was the brief reply. 

" Then you can find the sacred knife ? " eagerly suggested 
Kukona. 

" I can find it," was the kaula's emphatic answer. 

" Then find and bring it to Kukona, and for the service 
claim what you will," was the prompt proposal of the king. 

■ With the way thus broadly opened, Waahia announced that 
the price of the knife must be the liberation of Kalaunui, and 
was astonished at the promptness with which the terms were 
accepted. It was manifest to Waahia that he either placed a 
very high value upon the talisman, or had kept his royal prisoner 
about as long as he cared to detain him or the peace of his king- 
dom required. In either event his unhesitating acceptance of 
the main consideration warranted Waahia in at once naming one 
or two other conditions, which were just ys promptly agreed 
to by the king. One of these conditions was that Kalaunui 
should agree, as the only consideration for his release to be 
known to him, that his daughter Kapapa should be given in 
marriage to the chief Kualu, not only as a fitting union, but as 
a measure of atonement for the unjust and disgraceful charges 
made against that worthy young chief by Kaheka, and that Ku- 
kona and Kalaunui should mutually pledge themselves to the 
fulfilment of the compact. The other condition was that, on 
the delivery of the knife to Kukona, he was to release the cap- 
tive king at once, and return him to Hawaii in company with 
three high chiefs of Kauai, who were to remain in Waipio until 
after the consummation of the marriage of Kapapa and Kualu. 

Kalaunui was communicated with. For nearly three years 
he had been confined and closely but respectfully guarded with- 
in a square of high stone walls enclosing a single hut. Utterly 
unable to account for Kukona's interest in Kualu, he neverthe- 
less accepted the terms submitted to him for his release, and 
Waahia started at once for Kalaupapa, promising to be back 
within six days. For the voyage she accepted a canoe larger 
and more commodious than her own, and the services of five 
additional rowers. 

Arriving at Kalaupapa on the morning of the third day from 
Koloa, Waahia startled Kualu by informing him that Kalaunui 



THE IRON KNIFE. 205 

was about to be released, and that in twelve days he must return 
without further notice to Waipio, where he would be relieved of 
all disgrace by the king, and become the husband of Kapapa. 
Coming from Waahia, he believed the words as if they had been 
flashed from the heavens, and tisked for no confirmation as the 
kaula abruptly left him and proceeded alone toward the hills. 

A few hours later Waahia re-embarked for Kauai, taking with 
her, securely wrapped in a number of kapa folds, the sword of 
Kaluiki. She reached Koloa within the time promised, and, 
proceeding to the palace, delivered to the king, in person and 
alone, the glittering blade which rumor had clothed with extra- 
ordinary sanctity and power. 

Kalaunui renewed his pledge to Kukona, and the next morn- 
ing embarked for Hawaii in a large double canoe, accompanied 
by three of the leading chiefs of Kauai and their attendants. 
Stepping into the kaulua as it was about to be shoved into the 
surf, Kalaunui caught sight of Waahia, for the first time for years, 
as she stood leaning upon her staff near the water. Kualu's part 
in the agreement with Kukona was explained at once by Waahia's 
presence in Koloa ; but what was Kualu to Kukona ? and, if 
nothing, what influences had the kaula been able to bring to 
effect his release upon such conditions ? No matter. Kalaunui 
was too happy in his liberation to quarrel with the means through 
which it had been secured, and he turned with a look of gratitude 
toward the prophetess as the canoe shot out into the breakers. 

The return of their captive king was joyously celebrated by 
the people of Hawaii, and a few days after Kapapa became the 
willing wife of Kualu. The union was distasteful to Kaheka, but 
she was powerless to prevent it. The agreement was faithfully 
fulfilled by Kalaunui, and he spent the remainder of his days in 
peace, leaving the kingdom to his only son, Kuaiwa, between 
whom and Kualu a lasting friendship was established. 

Kualu, with Kapapa, became the head of an influential family, 
one of his direct descendants having been the wife of Makaoku, a 
son of Kiha and brother of Liloa, one of the most noted of the 
kings of Hawaii. 

The sword of Kaluiki, the ransom of a king, remained for 
some generations with the descendants of Kukona ; but what 
became of it in the end tradition fails to tell. 



The Sacred Spear-Point. 



CHARACTERS. 

Kakae and ) . . • r n/r • 

Y loint mots of Maui. 
Kakaalaneo, ) ■" 

Kahekili, son of Kakae. 

Kaululaau, son of Kakaalaneo. 

Waolani, a high-priest of Maui. 

Kalona-iki, king of Oahu. 

Laiea-a-Ewa, sister of the queen of Oahu. 

Kamakaua, a companion of Kaululaau. 

Kauholanui-mahu, king of Hawaii. 

Neula, queen of Hawaii. 

NoAKUA, a chief of Kohala, Hawaii. 

Pele, goddess of Kilauea. 

Keuakepo, brother of Pele. 

MooALEO, a gnome-god of Molokai. 

Pueoalii, a winged demon of Oahoi. 



THE SACRED SPEAR-POINT. 

THE ADVENTURES OF KAULULAAU, PRINCE OF MAUI. 
I. • 

KAULULAAU was one of the sons of Kakaalaneo, brother of, 
and joint ruler with, Kakae in the government of Maui. 
The latter was the legitimate heir to the moiship, but, as he was 
weak-minded, Kakaalaneo ruled jointly with him and was the 
real sovereign of the little kingdom. The court of the brothers 
was at Lele (now Lahaina), and was one of the most distinguished 
in the group. 

The mother of Kaululaau was Kanikaniaula, of the family of 
Kamauaua, king of Molokai, through his son Haili, who was the 
brother or half-brother of Keoloewa and Kaupeepee. The latter, 
it will be remembered, was the abductor of the celebrated Hina, 
of Hawaii, and the family was of the old strain of Maweke. 

Kaululaau was probably born somewhere between the years 
1390 and 1400. He had a half-sister, whose name was Wao, and 
a half-brother, Kaihiwalua, who was the father of Luaia, who be- 
came the husband of a daughter of Piliwale, moi of Oahu, and 
brother of Lo-Lale. He doubtless had other brothers and sisters, 
since his father was blessed with two or more wives, but the 
legends fail to refer to them. 

Kahekili, son of Kakae, and who became his successor in the 
moiship, was of near the age of his cousin, Kaululaau, and the two 
princes grew to manhood together. They were instructed by the 
same teachers, schooled in the same arts and chiefly accomplish- 
ments, and chanted the same genealogical meles. Yet in disposi- 
tion and personal appearance they were widely different. 

From his youth Kahekili was staid, sober and thoughtful. 
Bred to the knowledge that he would succeed his father as moi of 
the island, he began early in life to prepare himself for the proper 
exercise of supreme authority, and at the age of twenty was noted 
for his intelligence, dignity and royal bearing. He had been told 
by a prophet that one of his name would be the last independent 



2IO THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

king of Maui, and the information rendered him solicitous for his 
future and drove many a smile from his lips. Yet, with all his 
austerity and circumspection, he was kind-hearted and affection- 
ate, and his pastimes were such as comported with his dignity. 
In height he was somewhat below the chiefly medium, and his 
features were rugged and of a Papuan cast ; but all knew that he 
was royal in heart and thought, and the respect due to him was 
not withheld. 

Kaululaau was unlike his royal cousin in almost every re- 
spect. He was noted alike for his intelligence, his manly beauty 
and his rollicking spirit of mischief and merriment. He did not 
covet the sceptre. He thought more of a wild debauch, with 
music, dancing and a calabash of atva, than the right to command 
" downward " or "upward the face " ; and since Kahekili was the 
designated successor of his father, he claimed the right, as a 
favored and tabu subject of the realm, to enjoy himself in such 
manner as best accorded with his tastes. As he could not make 
laws, he found a pleasure in breaking them. He was neither wan- 
tonly cruel nor malignant, but recklessly wild and mischievous, 
and neither the reproofs of his father nor the mild persuasions of 
his cousin were sufficient to restrain him. His bantering reply to 
the latter was: "When you become king I will act with more 
propriety. Two mois can afford one wild prince." 

He had a congenial following of companions and retainers, 
who assisted him in his schemes of mischief. With feasting and 
hula dancing he would keep the village in an uproar for a dozen 
consecutive nights. He would send canoes adrift, open the gates 
of fish-ponds, remove the supports of houses, and paint swine 
black to deceive the sacrificial priests. He devised an instrument 
to imitate the death-warning notes of the alae, and frightened 
people by sounding it near their doors ; and to others he caused 
information to be conveyed that they were being prayed to death. 

Notwithstanding these misdemeanors, Kaululaau was popular 
with the people, since the chiefs or members of the royal house- 
hold were usually the victims of his mischievous freaks. He was 
encouraged in his disposition to qualify himself for the priest- 
hood, under the instruction of the eminent high-priest and pro- 
phet, Waolani, and had made substantial advances in the calling, 
when he was banished to the island of Lanai by his royal father 
for an offence which could neither be overlooked nor forgiven. 



THE SACRED SPEAR-POINT. 211 

At that time Lanai was infested with a number of gnomes, 
monsters and evil spirits, among them the gigantic vioo, Mooaleo. 
They ravaged fields, uprooted cocoanut-trees, destroyed the walls 
of fish-ponds, and otherwise frightened and discomfited the inhabi- 
tants of the island. That his residence there might be made en- 
durable, Kaululaau was instructed by the kaiilas and sorcerers of 
the court in many charms, spells, prayers and incantations with 
which to resist the powers of the supernatural monsters. When 
informed of these exorcising agencies by Kaululaau, his friend, 
the venerable high-priest, Waolani, told him that they would avail 
him nothing against the more powerful and malignant of the 
demons of Lanai. 

Disheartened at the declaration, Kaululaau was about to leave 
the Jieiau to embark for Lanai, when Waolani, after some hesita- 
tion, stayed his departure, and, entering the inner temple, soon 
returned with a small roll of kapa in his hand. Slowly uncording 
and removing many folds of cloth, an ivory spear-point a span in 
length was finally brought to view. Holding it before the prince, 
he said : 

"Take this. It will serve you in any way you may require. 
Its powers are greater than those of any god inhabiting the earth. 
It has been dipped in the waters of Po, and many generations 
ago was left by Lono upon one of his altars for the protec- 
tion of a temple menaced by a mighty fish-god who found a 
retreat beneath it in a great cavern connected with the sea. 
Draw a line with it and nothing can pass the mark. Affix it to a 
spear and throw it, and it will reach the object, no matter how far 
distant. Much more will it do, but let what I have said suffice." 

The prince eagerly reached to possess the treasure, but the 
priest withdrew it and continued : 

" I give it to you on condition that it pass from you to no 
other hands than mine, and that if I am no longer living when 
you return to Maui — as you some day will — you will secretly 
deposit it with my bones. Swear to this in the name of Lono." 

Kaululaau solemnly pronounced the required oath. The 
priest then handed him the talisman, wrapped in the kapa from 
which it had been taken, and he left the temple, and immediately 
embarked with a number of his attendants for Lanai. 

Reaching Lanai, he established his household on the south 
side of the island. Learning his name and rank, the people 



212 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

treated him with great respect — for Lanai was then a dependency 
of Maui — assisted in the construction of the houses necessary 
for his accommodation, and provided him with fish, poi, fruits and 
potatoes in great abundance. In return for this devotion he set 
about ridding the island of the supernatural pests with which it 
had been for years afflicted. 

In the legend of " Kelea, the Surf-rider of Maui," will be 
found some reference to the battles of Kaululaau with the evil 
spirits and monsters of Lanai. His most stubborn conflict was 
with the gnome god Mooaleo. He imprisoned the demon within 
the earth by drawing a line around him with the sacred spear- 
point, and subsequently released and drove him into the sea. 

More than a year was spent by Kaululaau in quieting and ex- 
pelling from the island the malicious monsters that troubled it, 
but he succeeded in the end in completely relieving the people 
from their vexatious visitations. This added immeasurably to 
his popularity, and the choicest of the products of land and sea 
were laid at his feet. 

His triumph over the demons of Lanai was soon known on 
the other islands of the group, and when it reached the ears of 
Kakaalaneo he despatched a messenger to his son, offering his 
forgiveness and recalling him from exile. The service he had 
rendered was important, and his royal father was anxious to 
recognize it by restoring him to favor. 

But Kaululaau showed no haste in availing himself of his 
father's magnanimity. Far from the restraints of the court, he 
had become attached to the independent life he had found in 
exile, and could think of no comforts or enjoyments unattainable 
on Lanai. The women there were as handsome as elsewhere, 
the bananas were as sweet, the cocoanuts were as large, the awa 
was as stimulating, and the fisheries were as varied and abundant 
in product. He had congenial companionship, and bands of 
musicians and dancers at his call. The best of the earth and the 
love of the people were his, and the apapani sang in the grove 
that shaded his door. What more could he ask, what more ex- 
pect should he return to Maui ? His exile had ceased to be a 
punishment, and his father's message of recall was scarcely 
deemed a favor. 

However, Kaululaau returned a respectful answer by his 
father's messenger, thanking Kakaalaneo for his clemency, and 



THE SACRED SPEAR-POINT. 213 

announcing that he would return to Maui some time in the near 
future, after having visited some of the other islands of the 
group ; and three months later he began to prepare for a trip to 
Hawaii. He procured a large double canoe, which he painted a 
royal yellow, and had fabricated a number of cloaks and capes of 
the feathers of the 00 and mamo. At the prow of his canoe he 
mounted a carved image of Lono, and at the top of one of the 
masts a place was reserved for the proud tabu standard of an aha 
alii. This done, with a proper retinue he set sail for Hawaii. 



II. 



On his visit to Hawaii, Kaululaau was accompanied by a 
number of companions of his own disposition and temperament. 
Among them was Kamakaua, a young Maui chief, who had fol- 
lowed him into exile and was thoroughly devoted to his interests. 
He was brave, courtly and intelligent, and in personal appearance 
somewhat resembled the prince. The crew and most of the 
attendants of the prince had been selected by Kamakaua, includ- 
ing the chief navigator and astrologer ; and however competent 
they may have been in their respective stations, it was discovered 
during the voyage that they were no less efficient as musicians and 
dancers. Hence there was no lack of amusement as the huge 
double canoe breasted the waves of Alenuihaha Channel, and on 
the morning of the third day stood off the village of Waipio, in 
the district of Hamakua, Hawaii. 

At that time Kauholanui-mahu, father of the noted Kiha, was 
king of Hawaii. His wife was Neula, a chiefess of Maui, who 
had inherited very considerable possessions in the neighborhood 
of Honuaula, on that island. As the climate of the locality was 
salubrious, and the neighboring waters abounded abundantly in 
fish, the royal couple made frequent and sometimes lengthy visits 
thither. These visits were usually made without the knowledge 
of Kakaalaneo, and the unexplained attachment of the Hawaiian 
king to the comparatively small inheritance of his wife on a 
neighboring island began to be regarded with suspicion, and had 
become a theme for speculation and inquiry at the court of 
Lahaina. 

At the time of the visit of Kaululaau to Waipio, Kauholanui 



214 '^^^ LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

had been absent for some months on Maui, leaving Neula in 
charge of the government of Hawaii. Attributing the absence of 
the king to deliberate neglect, Neula had become greatly dissatis- 
fied, and whispers of coming trouble were rife throughout the 
island. All this was doubtless known to Kaululaau, and, as the 
royal residence was at Waipio, it was upon the beach below it that 
he landed with his party and drew up his double canoe. 

The presence and state of the strangers were soon heralded 
to the queen, and she promptly despatched messengers, courte- 
ously inviting the prince and his personal retainers to become 
her guests at the royal hale, at the same time giving orders for 
the accommodation of the humbler of his attendants and follow- 
ers, as was the hospitable custom of the time. 

Accepting the invitation, Kaululaau and four of his chiefly 
companions were provided with quarters within the palace en- 
closure, and their food was served from the royal table. In the 
afternoon Kaululaau was accorded an audience with the queen, 
during which he presented his friends, including Kamakaua. 

The prince whiled away nearly a month at Waipio, and many 
formal entertainments were given in his honor. Neula was unusu- 
ally agreeable, and was soon on terms of friendly intimacy both 
with the prince and Kamakaua. This was exactly what Kaulu- 
laau desired, since it enabled him to devise and assist in the exe- 
cution of a scheme for bringing the king back from Maui and 
keeping him thereafter within his own kingdom. 

Under the instructions of Kaululaau, Kamakaua assumed to 
be greatly smitten with the charms of the queen. As she was a 
comely woman, and somewhat vain of her personal appearance, 
the conquest of the handsome chief gratified her ; but his atten- 
tions developed the fact that he had a rival in Noakua, a chief of 
Kohala. This discovery simplified the plans of the prince, and 
relieved Kamakaua of a dangerous duty in the end. In pressing 
his suit he found a pretext for informing the queen that the 
continued absence of the king was due to the fact that he had 
taken another wife, with whom he was living at Honuaula, and 
that he had ceased to care either for his kingdom or his family. 

While Kamakaua was pouring this poison into the ears of 
Neula, Kaululaau, who had made the acquaintance of Noakua, 
was planting in the mind of that chief the seeds of sedition. He 
flattered him with the opinion that he was made to rule, and by 



THE SACRED SPEAR-POINT. 215 

degrees developed to him a plan through which, with the favor 
of the queen, he could seize the government, unite the principal 
chiefs in his support, and prevent Kauholanui from returning to 
Hawaii. 

The ambition of Noakua, and anger of the queen at the pre- 
sumed neglect and infidelity of her husband, soon harmonized 
them in a plot against the absent king. Preparations for the 
revolt began to be observed, when Kaululaau, not wishing to be 
openly identified with the dangerous movement, quietly embarked 
with his party for Hilo, where he remained to watch the progress 
of the struggle which he had been instrumental in originating. 

The prince had been in Hilo but a few days when a liiiiapai 
arrived from Waipio, summoning the chief of the district to repair 
thither with eight hundred warriors, and announcing the assump- 
tion of the sovereignty of the island by Neula. Similar notifica- 
tions were sent to the chiefs of the other districts of the kingdom, 
and soon all was excitement from Kau to Kohaia. 

Hearing of the revolt, Kauholanui, who had been engaged in 
constructing a fish-pond at Keoneoio, in the neighborhood of 
Honuaula, left Maui at once with less than a hundred spears, 
and, landing in Kona, whose chief could be relied upon, he 
started overland for Waipio. The revolution was unpopular, and 
with great unanimity the chiefs and people rallied to the standard 
of the king. The struggle was brief. A battle was fought near 
Waimea, resulting in the defeat of the rebel army and the death 
of Noakua. 

This ended the revolt. As a punishment to Neula the king 
took another wife. But the object of Kaululaau was accom- 
plished, for Kauholanui never again visited Maui, although the 
queen spent much of her time thereafter at Honuaula, where her 
favorite guest and friend was Kamakaua. 

Leaving Hilo, Kaululaau and his party leisurely drifted along 
the coasts of Puna until they reached the borders of Kau, when 
they landed at Keauhou to spend a few days in fishing and surf- 
riding. 

Weary of the sport, Kaululaau left the bathers in the surf, one 
afternoon, and threw himself under the shade of a hala tree near 
the shore. Watching the clouds and the sea-birds circling in the 
heavens above him, he fell asleep, and when he awoke his eyes 
fell upon a beautiful woman sitting upon a rock not more than a 



2l6 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

hundred paces distant, and silently watching the swimmers as 
they came riding in on the crests of the rollers. Her skirts were 
z.paii, spangled with crystals, and over her shoulders hung a short 
mantle of the colors of a rainbow. Her long hair was held back 
by a lei of flowers, and her wrists and ankles were adorned with 
circlets of tiny shells of pink and white. 

The appearance of the woman dazzled him, and after gazing 
for some time, and rubbing his eyes to be sure that he was not 
dreaming, he rose to his feet and approached the radiant being. 
Advancing within four or five paces of the woman, apparently 
unobserved, he stopped, and with a cough attracted her attention. 
Turning her face toward him, he greeted her courteously, and 
requested permission to approach nearer and converse with her. 
Her appearance indicated that she was a person of rank, and he 
did not feel like trespassing uninvited upon her privacy. She 
did not deign to make any reply to his request, but, after scanning 
him from head to foot, turned her face toward the sea again with 
a contemptuous toss of the head. 

He hesitated for a moment, and then turned and strode 
rapidly down to the beach, where his double canoe had been safely 
drawn up on the sands. " In the guise of a bather," thought the 
prince, " she evidently mistakes me for a servant. I will approach 
her in the garb to which my rank entitles me, and see what effect 
that will have." 

Entering the canoe, he girded his loins with a gaudy maro, 
hung round his neck a palaoa, and threw over his shoulders a 
royal mantle of yellow feathers. Then, crowning his head with a 
brilliant feather helmet, he selected a spear of the length of six 
paces and stepped from the canoe. As he did so he stumbled. 
" This means that I have forgotten or omitted something of im- 
portance," said the prince to himself, stopping and in detail 
scanning his equipments. At that moment a lizard ran across 
his path and entered a hole in the earth. This brought to 
mind his battle with the gigantic gnome on Lanai, and with 
a smile he re-entered the canoe. Taking from a calabash, 
where it had been for months secreted, the charmed spear- 
point of Lono, he affixed it firmly to the point of a javelin, and, 
thus equipped, again sought the presence of the fascinating being 
by whom he had been repulsed. 

Advancing as before, he once more craved permission to 



THE SACRED SPEAR-FOIMT. 21 J 

approach near enough to drink in the beauty of her eyes. But 
she seemed to be in no mood to consent. Scanning him in his 
changed apparel, with an air of indifference she said : 

"You need not have taken the trouble to bedeck yourself with 
royal feathers. I knew you before, as I know you now, to be 
Kaululaau, son of Kakaalaneo, moi of Maui. I do not desire 
your company." 

" Since you know who I am, I must claim the right to insist 
upon my request, unless you can show, indeed, that you are of 
equal or better rank." Saying this, the prince took a step for- 
ward. 

" Then come," replied the woman, " since you are rude 
enough to attempt it. Sit at my feet and tell me of your love, 
and I will search the caves for squid and beat the kapa for you. " 

The prince advanced joyfully, and was about to seat himself 
at the feet of the lovely being, when with a cry of pain he sprang 
back. The rock he had touched was as hot as if it had just been 
thrown from the crater of a volcano. 

"Come," said the woman tauntingly ; "do you not see that 
I am waiting for you ? " 

Again the prince advanced, but the earth for two or three 
paces around her was glimmering with heat, and he hastily with- 
drew to where the ground and rocks were cool. He was now 
satisfied that he was dealing with some one wielding supernatural 
powers, and resolved to test the efficacy of the charmed point of 
his javelin. 

" Why do you not come ? " continued the woman in a tone of 
mingled defiance and reproach. 

" Because the earth where you are sitting is too warm for my 
feet," replied the prince, innocently. " Come where I am stand- 
ing, and I will sit beside you." And with the point of his javelin 
he marked upon the ground the boundaries of a space around 
him. 

" Retire some paces, and I will do so," replied the woman, 
confidently. The prince withdrew, as requested, and she quietly 
removed to the spot where he had been standing. 

" Now come," said the woman, reseating herself; "perhaps 
you will find it cooler here." 

"I hope so," returned the prince, as he began cautiously to 
advance. He crossed the line marked by the point of his jave- 



2l8 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

lin, and felt no heat. He took three more steps forward, and the 
earth was still cool. Another step, which brought him within two 
paces of the enchantress, convinced him that her powers were 
impotent within the boundaries of the line he had drawn, and 
with a sudden leap forward he caught her in his arms. 

Astounded at the failure of her powers, and humiliated at her 
defeat, the woman struggled to free herself from the embrace of 
the prince ; but within the charmed circle she possessed but the 
strength of a simple woman, and was compelled to yield to the 
supreme indignities of superior force. 

Exasperated beyond measure, she at length succeeded in 
eluding his grasp and springing beyond the fatal line. The 
prince followed, but she was now herself, and he could neither 
overtake nor restrain her. Retreating some distance up the hill, 
she suddenly stopped and awaited his approach. She permitted 
him to advance within forty or fifty paces of her, when in the 
space of a breath she abandoned her captivating disguise and 
stood forth in the form of Pele, the dreadful goddess of Kilauea. 
Her eyes were bright as the midday sun, and her hair was like a 
flame of fire. 

The prince stopped in dismay. The goddess raised her hand, 
and at her feet burst forth a stream of molten lava, rolling fiercely 
down upon the prince, as if to engulf him. He started to escape 
by flight, but the stream widened and increased in speed as it fol- 
lowed. Fearful that it would overtake him before he could reach 
the sea, he thought of his javelin, and with the point hastily drew 
a line in front of the advancing flood. Continuing his flight and 
looking back, he discovered, to his great relief, that the stream 
had stopped abruptly at the line he had drawn, and could not 
pass it. Passing into a ravine, the angry flow sought to reach the 
sea through its channel, and thus cut off the retreat of the prince ; 
but he crossed the depression, marking a line as he went, and the 
fiery avalanche was stayed at the limit. 

Observing that she was thwarted by some power whose ele- 
ment seemed to be of the earth, Pele summoned her brother 
Keuakepo from Kilauea, and a shower of fire and ashes descended 
upon Kaululaau and his companions. Leaping into the sea to 
avoid the fire, they dragged the double canoe from its moorings, 
and, swimming and pushing it through the breakers, escaped 
from the coast with but little injury. 



THE SACRED SPEAR-POINT. 219 



III. 



Having embroiled himself with the divine and political powers 
of Hawaii, Kaululaau rounded the southern point of La Lae and 
set sail for Molokai. He spent a month on that island with the 
royal relatives of his mother, by whom he was appropriately re- 
ceived and entertained. He visited the home of Laamaomao, the 
wind-god, the poisoned grove of Kalaipahoa, and the demolished 
fortress on the promontory of Haupu, where the gallant Kaupee- 
pee, of whose blood he was,- met his dramatic death. He then set 
sail for Oahu. 

The island of Oahu was at that period one of the most pros- 
perous in the group. It was under the government of Kalona-iki, 
one of the two sons of Mailikukahi, who during his reign had in- 
stituted a code of laws giving better protection to the poor, mak- 
ing theft punishable with death, and claiming as the wards of the 
government the first-born male children of all families, without 
regard to rank or condition. 

Kalona continued the peaceful and intelligent policy of his 
father, and his court was noted alike for the brilliancy of its 
chiefs and the beauty of its women. His principal place of resi- 
dence was Waikiki, although he had sumptuous temporary resorts 
at Ewa and Waialua. 

Kaululaau first touched at Waialua, but, learning that the king 
was at Waikiki, he ordered his canoe to proceed around to the 
south side of the island in charge of his chief navigator, while he 
and Kamakaua concluded to make the journey overland. Dis- 
pensing with all insignia of rank, and habited like simple com- 
moners, the prince and his companion started unattended for 
Waikiki. Both were armed with javelins, but the one borne by 
Kaululaau was tipped with the charmed point of Lono. 

Proceeding along the foot of the Kaala range of mountains, in 
the afternoon they sat down to rest in the shade of a hala tree. 
In a ravine below them five or six men were working, and scat- 
tered along its banks were a number of huts. Soon a tumult of 
screams reached them, and men, women and children were seen 
running hither and thither in a state of great excitement. 

The travelers sprang to their feet, and as they did so a gigan- 
tic bird swept immediately over their heads and winged its way 



2 20 THE LEGEXDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

toward the hills. It passed so closely that the branches of the 
hala tree were swayed by the motion of its mighty pinions, and 
its outspread wings seemed to measure scarcely less than twenty 
long steps from tip to tip. 

While watching the monster with amazement, a woman ap- 
proached, and to the questions of the prince replied, between wails 
of anguish, that the great bird — the Pueoalii, as she called it — had 
just killed her only child in front of her hut, with a stab to the 
heart resembling the cut of a knife. She hurriedly gave the addi- 
tional information that for many years past the same bird had at 
intervals visited different districts of the island, killing children, 
pigs and fowls, and that the priests had declared it to be a pueo, 
or owl, sacred to the gods, and which could not, therefore, be 
molested with safety, even if harm to it were possible from 
human hands. 

Better learned in the inspiration and purposes of such visita- 
tions — since he had been instructed by the eminent high-priest 
Waolani — and having had many conflicts with malignant spirits, 
he doubted that the monster he had just seen was of the sacred 
piieo family, and requested that he be shown the dead child. Pro- 
ceeding to the hut and inspecting the wound, he observed that 
the fatal cut was upward, and not downward, as it would have 
been had it been made by the beak of an owl. This confirmed 
him in the correctness of his first impression, and, requesting 
Kamakaua to follow him, he started toward the hills in the direc- 
tion taken by the bird. 

They could still see it in the distance, like a dark cloud against 
the mountain. After following it for some time the bird swooped 
down to commit some fresh depredation, and then rose and 
alighted upon a rocky ridge with precipitous face sweeping down 
from the main summit of Kaala. 

"Why go farther ? " said Kamakaua. "We cannot reach the 
bird, and, if we could, our spears would be like straws to such a 
monster." 

As if by a strong hand, tlie javelin in the grasp of the prince 
forcibly turned and pointed toward the bird. Smiling at the 
augury, Kaululaau replied : 

" Look you carefully back and see if we are followed." 

Kamakaua turned his face in compliance, and as he did so the 
prince poised his javelin and hurled it in the direction of the bird. 



THE SACRED SPEAR-POINT. 22 1 

In twenty paces the point did not droop ; in forty it did not fall 
to the ground ; in a hundred a new energy seized it, and like a 
fiash of light it sped out of sight. A moment later the prince 
saw the bird sink and disappear. 

" I can see no one," said Kamakaua, after carefully scanning 
the ground over which they had passed. " Nor can I now see the 
bird," he continued, looking toward the ridge. " Where can it be ?" 

"At the foot of the cliff," replied the prince, "with the point 
of my javelin in his heart." 

Having been with the prince on Molokai, Kamakaua received 
the strange information without question or great wonder, and, 
hastening to the base of the precipice, they found the monster 
dead, with the javelin buried in its breast. Removing the wea- 
pon, they cut off the head and one of the feet of the bird, pulled 
from its wings four of the longest feathers, and with them 
returned to the hala tree under which they had found shelter 
from the sun. The burden taxed their strength to the utmost. 
The weight of the head, which was borne by the prince, was 
scarcely less than that of his own body, while the feathers were 
seven paces in length, and the claws two paces between their ex- 
treme points. 

Great excitement followed the spreading of the news that 
Pueoalii had been killed by strangers. The sufferers through its 
visitations were disposed to commend the act, and others con- 
demned it as an insult to the gods, which would probably bring 
broadcast calamity upon the whole island. To placate the anger 
of the gods it was proposed to sacrifice the strangers at the 
nearest heiaii, and, respectfully wrapping the head of the bird in 
kapa, Kaululaau and his companion were conducted with their 
trophies to the sacred temple of Kukaniloko, which was not far 
distant. They were accompanied by a crowd which constantly 
swelled in numbers as they proceeded, and on arriving at the 
heiau they were surrounded by four or five hundred men and 
women, many of them armed and clamoring for their blood. 

Kaululaau was in nowise alarmed, but rather enjoyed the situ- 
ation. The high-priest of the temple appeared and the matter 
was laid before him. Looking at the foot and mighty feathers 
of the bird, he turned to the strangers and said : 

" You have slain a creature sacred to the gods, and my thought 
is that you should be sacrificed to avert their wrath." 



22 2 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

" Be careful in your judgment, priest," replied the prince. 
" How know you that the bird was sacred ?" 

"For years it has been so regarded," returned the priest. 
" How know you that it was not ? " 

" Does it become the high-priest of Kukaniloko to ask such a 
question ? " said the prince. " But I will reply to it when you 
answer this : With the javelin now in my hand I killed the bird 
at a distance farther than from where we stand to yonder hills. 
Could it have been done by human hand without the especial 
favor of the gods. If not, then how have the gods been 
angered ? " 

The priest was confounded, and when the prince proposed to 
submit the question of his guilt to the king, the suggestion was 
accepted. It now being near nightfall, Kaululaau and his com- 
panion were removed within the enclosure of the temple for safe- 
keeping, and, knowing that they would be deprived of their 
weapons, the prince removed the charmed point from his javelin 
and secreted it in the folds of his maro. 

Early next morning the high-priest and his two prisoners, who 
were kept under no marked restraint, accompanied by a large 
concourse of people carrying the head, foot and feathers of Pueo- 
alii, started for Waikiki. Every one seemed to know that the 
great bird had been killed, and many stood by the wayside to see 
the feathers that had been torn from its wings, and catch a 
glimpse of its destroyer. 

Near the middle of the day the great gathering arrived at 
Waikiki. As many carried spears, it resembled an army in its 
march, and messengers were despatched by the king to ascertain 
its meaning. Halting near the shores of the harbor, and not far 
from the royal mansion, to report the arrival of the prisoners and 
learn the pleasure of the king, the prince observed his double 
canoe drawn up on the beach, and requested permission to ap- 
proach it, that he might secure the counsel of his master, Kau- 
lulaau, son of the moi of Maui. 

The favor could not well be denied, and, under guard of 
two inferior priests of Kukaniloko, the prince was conducted to 
the canoe. As but three or four of the crew were present, and 
their attention was wholly absorbed in the gathering around the 
royal hale, the prince stepped, unobserved by them, into the 
canoe, and passed quickly into his private quarters — a close 



THE SACRED SPEAR-POINT. 223 

wicker-work apartment eight or ten feet in length by the breadth 
of both canoes, and with a height of six feet or more from their 
bottoms to the top screen. 

Hurriedly investing himself with his regalia of rank, includ- 
ing helmet, feather mantle and spear, he stepped into view and 
sounded a blast upon a shell. Soon a number of his attendants 
made their appearance, and, with such following" as befitted a 
prince, he started for the royal mansion. The guards who es- 
corted him to the canoe did not recognize him as he left it, and 
after passing the crowd surrounding the palace his name and 
rank were announced to the king. He was promptly met and 
courteously welcomed at the door by Kalona, and informed that 
messengers of greeting and invitation would have been despatched 
to him had his presence at Waikiki been known. 

Kaululaau then apprised the king that he had but just arrived 
overland from Waialua, while his double canoe had been sent 
around to meet him at Waikiki, and that it was his purpose to 
spend some days on Oahu. The hospitalities of the royal hale 
were then tendered and accepted, after which the king explained 
to his distinguished guest the cause of the large gathering around 
the palace, and invited him to an inspection of the head, feathers 
and claws of the mighty Piieoalii, and to listen to the story of the 
slayer of the sacred bird, should he deem it of sufficient in- 
terest. 

Kaululaau accompanied the king to a large dancing pavilion 
within the royal enclosure, to which had been conveyed the sev- 
ered parts of the gigantic bird. After the claws and feathers had 
been examined' with awe and amazement, the king ordered the 
slayer of the bird to be brought before him. The high-priest of 
Kukaniloko bowed and turned to execute the order, when the 
guards placed over the prince came from the beach with the 
information that their prisoner had escaped. 

The priest was savage in his disappointment. " Either find 
him or take his place upon the altar ! " he hissed to the unfor- 
tunate guards, and then led Kamakaua before the king, with 
the explanation that the other prisoner had managed to elude 
the vigilance of his guards, but would doubtless soon be 
found. 

Kamakaua discovered the prince at the side of the king, and 
could hardly restrain a smile. When questioned he denied that 



2 24 ^^^ LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

he killed the great bird, but admitted that he assisted in removing 
the head, feathers and one of the feet. 

" This is trifling," said the king, turning to the priest with a 
scowl. " Where is the other prisoner? " 

" He is here, great king ! " exclaimed Kaululaau, bowing be- 
fore Kalona, to the astonishment but great relief of the priest. 
" Favored by the gods, I slew the malignant monster your priests 
call by the sacred name of Pueoalii. Their skill should have 
instructed them differently. Will the king favor me by ordering 
the kapa covering to be removed from the head ? " 

The order was given, and the uncpvered head was raised beak 
upward before the king. 

In a moment it was observed that the head was not of a pneo, 
or owl ; nor did it bear resemblance in form to that of any bird 
known. It was narrow between the eyes, which in color were 
those of a shark, and its long and pointed beak, both of the upper 
and under jaws, turned sharply upward. 

" It is not 3ipueo ! " was the general exclamation. 

"Are you satisfied, priest?" inquired the prince. 

"I think it is not d.pueo" responded the priest, reluctantly. 

" You thi7ik it is not a pueo ! " exclaimed the king, indignantly. 
" Do you not k/iow it ? What pueo ever had such eyes and such 
a beak?" 

The priest hung his head in confusion, and the prince, having 
completely discomfited him, now came kindly to his relief by 
remarking : 

" The mistake might well have been made, for on the wing and 
at a distance the bird much resembled a. pueo." 

" You are kind to say so, prince," said the king ; " but the 
priests and kaulas have been greatly at fault. For years the bird 
has preyed upon the people, and no one has dared to molest it. 
Since you killed it, knowing that it was not sacred, perhaps you 
may be able to tell me something of its unnatural birth and appe- 
tites." 

Thus appealed to, Kaululaau modestly replied : 

" If I may rely upon what seemed to be a dream last night, the 
bird was possessed by the spirit of Hilo-a-Lakapu, one of the 
chiefs of Hawaii who invaded Oahu during the reign of your 
royal father. He was slain at Waimano, and his head was placed 
upon a pole near Honouliuli for the birds to feed upon. He was 



THE SACRED SPEAR-POINT. 225 

of akua blood, and through a bird-god relative his spirit was 
given possession of the monster which the gods enabled me to 
slay." 

The spirit of Hilo had been brought in with the head of the 
dead bird, and with the utterance of these words by the prince 
the eyes rolled, the ponderous jaws opened and closed, and with 
a noise like the scream of an alae the malignant spirit took its 
departure. 

The truth of the dream of Kaululaau thus being verified, the 
king publicly thanked him for ridding the island of the monstrous 
scourge, and ordered especial honors to be paid him by all classes 
so long as it might be his pleasure to remain in the kingdom. In 
return the prince presented to the king the head, claws and 
feathers of the bird, the latter to be made into a mammoth kahili, 
and then made Kamakaua known to him, together with such 
other chiefs in his train as were entitled to royal recognition. 

Kaululaau became at once the hero of the court as well as the 
idol of the people. He remained more than a month on Oahu, 
enjoying the unstinted hospitality of the king and his district 
chiefs. He was a favorite with the fairest women of the court ; 
but he gave his heart to the beautiful Laiea-a-Ewa, sister of the 
wife of Kalona, and with her returned to Maui. 

Landing at Lahaina after his long absence, he was joyfully 
welcomed home by his royal father, who had heard of his adven- 
tures and fully forgiven the faults of his youth. With grief he 
learned that his friend the ^igh-priest, Waolani, had died some 
months before. Remembering his oath, he found the burial 
place of the priest, and with his remains secretly deposited the 
sacred spear-point of Lono, which had served him so effectively. 
He devoutly kissed the relic before he hid it for ever from view, 
and afterwards knelt and thanked Lono and the priest for its use. 

Lands were given him in Kauaula, where he resided until the 
end of his days. Laiea was his only wife, and they were blessed 
with six children, whose names alone are mentioned by tradition. 



Kelea, the Surf-Rider of Maul 



CHARACTERS. 

Kawao, king of Maui. 

Kelea, sister of Kawao. 

PlUWALE, alii-nui of Oahu. 

Paakanilea, wife of Piliwale. 

Lo-Lale, brother of Piliwale. 

Kalamakua, a chief of Ewa, cousin of Lo-Lale. 



KELEA, THE SURF-RIDER OF MAUI. 

THE LEGEND OF LO-LALE, THE ECCENTRIC PRINCE OF OAHU. 
I. 

KELEA, of whom in the past the bards of Oahu and Maui loved 
to sing, was the beautiful but capricious sister of Kawao, 
king of Maui, who in about a.d. 1445, at the age of twenty-five, suc- 
ceeded to the sovereignty of that island. Their royal father was 
Kahekili I., the son of Kakae, who, with his brother, Kakaalaneo, 
was the joint ruler of the little realm from about 1380 to 1415. 
Kakae was the rightful heir to the moiship, and, as such, his son 
Kahekili succeeded him ; but as an accident in his youth had 
somewhat impaired his mental faculties, Kakaalaneo became, 
through the expressed will of the dying Kamaloohua, the joint 
ruler and virtual sovereign of the kingdom. He had sons and 
daughters of his own ; but he loved his weak-minded brother, and 
respected the line of legitimate succession, and when the black 
kapa covered him, Kahekili became king of Maui and Lanai ; for 
during that period the latter island was under the protection of 
the 7nois of Maui, while Molokai still maintained its indepen- 
dence. 

Kakaalaneo was noted for his business energy and strict sense 
of justice. The court of the brothers was established at Lahaina 
— then known as Lele — and was one of the most respected in all 
the group. It was Kakaalaneo who introduced the bread-fruit 
there from Hawaii, and won the love of the people by continuous 
acts of mercy and benevolence. For some disrespect shown to 
his royal brother, whose mental weakness doubtless subjected him 
to unkind remarks, he banished his son Kaululaau to Lanai, 
which island, tradition avers, was at that time infested by power- 
ful and malignant spirits. They killed pigs and fowls, uprooted 
cocoanut-trees and blighted taro patches, and a gigantic and 
mischievous gnome amused himself by gliding like a huge mole 
under the huts of his victims and almost upsetting them. 

The priests tried in vain to quiet these malicious spirits. No 



230 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

sooner were they exorcised away from one locality than they 
appeared in another, and if they gave the taro patches a rest it 
was only to tear the unripe bananas from their stems, or rend the 
walls and embankments of artificial ponds, that their stores of 
fishes might escape to the sea. Aware of these grievances, Kau- 
lulaau took with him to Lanai a talisman of rare powers. It was 
the gift of his friend, the high-priest of his father, and consisted 
of a spear-point that had been dipped in the waters of Po, the 
land of death, and many generations before left by Lono on one 
of his altars. 

Crowning a long spear with this sacred point, Kaululaau at- 
tacked the disturbing spirits, and in a short time succeeded either 
in bringing them to submission or driving them from the island. 
The gnome Mooaleo was the most difficult to vanquish. It 
avoided the prince, and for some time managed to keep beyond 
the influence of the charmed spear-point ; but the monster was 
finally caught within the boundaries of a circular line scratched 
with the talisman upon the surface of the earth beneath which it 
was burrowing, and thereby brought to terms. It could not pass 
the line, no matter how far below the surface it essayed to do so. 
Heaving the earth in its strength and wrath, it chafed against the 
charmed restraint that held it captive, and finally plunged down- 
ward within the vertical walls of its prison. But there was no 
path of escape in that direction. It soon encountered a lake of 
fire, and was compelled to return to the surface, where it humbled 
itself before the prince, and promised, if liberated, to quit the 
island for ever. Kaululaau obliterated sixty paces of the line of 
imprisonment, to enable Mooaleo to pass to the sea, into which 
the hideous being plunged and disappeared, never to be seen 
again in Lanai. 

In consideration of the great service of the exiled prince in 
restoring quiet and security to the island, his father permitted him 
to return to Maui, where he connected himself with the priest- 
hood, and became noted for his supernatural powers. The 
charmed spear-point is referred to in later legends, and is thought 
to be still secreted with the bones of a high-priest in a mountain 
cave on the island of Maui, not far from the sacred burial-place 
of lao. 

But we have been straying two generations back of our story. 
The legendary accounts of the ruling families of the principal 



KELEA, THE SURF-RIDER OF MAUI. 23 I 

islands of the group are so threaded with romantic or fabulous 
incidents that, in referring to any of the prominent actors in the 
past, it is difficult to restrain the pen in its willingness to wander 
into the enchanted by-ways in which the meles of the period 
abound. 

Having alluded to the immediate ancestors of Kelea, the sister 
of the young moi of Maui, we will now resume the thread of our 
legend by referring somewhat more particularly to the princess 
herself. Brought up in the royal court at Lahaina, with a 
brother only to divide the affections of her father, Kelea was 
humored, petted and spoiled as a child, and courted and flattered 
beyond measure as she grew to womanhood. The meles describe 
her as a maiden of uncommon beauty ; but she was wayward, 
volatile and capricious, as might have been expected of one so 
schooled and favored, and no consideration of policy or persua- 
sion of passion could move her to accept any one of the many 
high chiefs who sought her in marriage. She loved the water — 
possibly because she could see her fair face mirrored in it — and 
became the most "graceful and daring surf-swimmer in the king- 
dom. Frequently, when the waters of Auau Channel surged wildly 
under the breath of tlie south wind, or koiia, Kelea, laughing at 
the fears of her brother, would plunge into the sea with her 
onini, or surf-board, and so audaciously ride the waves that those 
who watched and applauded her were half-inclined to believe 
that she was the friend of some water-god, and could not be 
drowned. 

No sport was to her so enticing as a battle with the waves, and 
when her brother spoke to her of marriage she gaily answered that 
the surf-board was her husband, and she would never embrace any 
other. The brother frowned at the answer, for he had hoped, by 
uniting his sister to the principal chief of Hana, to more thor- 
oughly incorporate in his kingdom that portion of the island, then 
ruled by independent chiefs ; but by other means during his 
reign, it may be remarked, the union of the two divisions was 
effected. 

" Do not frown, Kawao," said Kelea, coaxingly ; " a smile bet- 
ter becomes your handsome face. I may marry some day, just to 
please you ; but remember what the voice said in the ami at the 
last feast of Loiio." 

"Yes, I remember," replied Kawao; "but I have sometimes 



232 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

believed that when the kilo declared that in riding the surf Kelea 
would find a husband, he was simply repeating an augury im- 
parted to him by Kelea herself." 

" You will anger the gods by speaking so lightly of their 
words," returned Kelea, reproachfully ; and Kawao smiled as 
the princess took her leave with a dignity quite unusual with 
her. 

Kawao loved his sister and was proud of her beauty ; and 
while he was anxious to see her suitably married, and felt no 
little annoyance at the importunities of her suitors, he neverthe- 
less recognized her right, as the daughter of a king, to a voice in 
the selection of a husband. 

But the voice from the anu was prophetic, whatever may have 
inspired it ; for while Kelea continued to ride the waves at La- 
haina, a husband, of the family of Kalona-iki, of Oahu, was in 
search of her, and to that island we now request the reader to 
follow us. 

There lived at that time at Lihue, in the district of Ewa, on 
the island of Oahu, a chief named Lo-Lale, son of Kalona-iki, 
and brother of Piliwale, the alii-nui, or nominal sovereign, of the 
island, whose court was established at Waialua. Kalona-iki had 
married Kikinui, and thus infused into the royal family the na- 
tive and aristocratic blood of Maweke, of the ancient line of 
Nan aula. 

Lo-Lale was an amiable and handsome prince, but for some 
cause had reached the age of thirty-five without marrying. The 
reason was traced to the death by drowning, some years before, of 
a chiefess of great beauty whom he was about to marry, and to 
whom he was greatly attached. As he was of a gentle and po- 
etic nature, his disinclination to marriage may not be unreason- 
ably attributed to that event, especially when supported by the 
relation that thereafter he abhorred the sea, and was content 
to remain at Lihue, beyond the sound of its ceaseless surges. 

Piliwale had passed his fiftieth year, and, having but two 
daughters and no son, was more than ever desirous that his 
brother should marry, that the family authority might be strength- 
ened and the line of Kalona perpetuated. And the friendly 
neighboring chiefs were equally anxious that Lo-Lale should be- 
come the head of a family, and, to inspire him with a disposition 
to marry, described with enthusiasm the beauty of many maidens 



KELEA, THE SURF-RIDER OF MAUI. 



^11 



of distinguished rank whom they had met on the other islands of 
the group. 

To these importunities Lo-Lale finally yielded ; and as a suit- 
able wife for so high a chief could not be found on Oahu, or, 
at least, one who would be personally acceptable to him, it was 
necessary to seek for her among the royal families of the other 
islands. Accordingly, a large koa canoe was fitted out at Waialua, 
and with trusty messengers of rank despatched to the windward 
islands in search of a wife for Lo-Lale. The messengers were 
instructed to quietly visit the several royal courts, and report 
upon the beauty, rank and eligibility of such marriageable chief- 
esses of distinguished families as they might be able to discover. 

Among the chiefs selected for the delicate mission, and the 
one upon whose judgment the most reliance was placed, was Lo- 
Lale's cousin, Kalamakua, a noble of high rank, whose lands were 
on the coast of the Ewa district. He was bold, dashing and ad- 
venturous, and readily consented to assist in finding a wife for 
his royal and romantic relative. 

Lo-Lale was at Waialua when the messengers embarked. He 
took an encouraging interest in the expedition, and when ban- 
teringly asked by his cousin if age would be any objection in a 
bride of unexceptionable birth, replied that he had promised to 
take a wife solely to please his royal brother, and any age under 
eighty would answer. But he did not mean it. 

" Not so," replied Piliwale, more than half in earnest. " I will 
not become the uncle of a family of monsters. The bride must 
be as worthy in person as in blood." 

" Do you hear, Kalamakua ? " said Lo-Lale, addressing his 
cousin, who was st.mding beside the canoe, ready for departure ; 
"do you hear the words of Piliwale? She must be not only 
young but beautiful. If you bring or give promise to any other, 
she shall not live at Lihue ! " 

" Do not fear," replied the cousin, gaily. " Whomsoever she 
may be, we will keep her in the family ; for if you refuse her, or 
she you, I will marry her myself ! " 

" Fairly spoken ! " exclaimed the king ; " and I will see that 
he keeps his promise, Lo-Lale." 

Although the object of the voyage was known to but few, 
hundreds gathered at the beach to witness the departure, for the 
canoe was decorated, and the embarking chiefs appeared in 



234 ^-^^ LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

feather capes and other ornaments of their rank. Turning to the 
high-priest, who was present, Piliwale asked him if he had ob- 
served the auguries. 

" I have," repHed the priest. " They are more than favor- 
able." Then turning his face northward, he continued : " There 
is peace in the clouds, and the listless winging of yonder bird be- 
tokens favoring winds." 

Amid a chorus of alohas! the canoe dashed through the 
breakers and out into the open sea, holding a course in the direc- 
tion of Molokai. Reaching that island early the next day, the 
party landed at Kalaupapa. The alii-md received them well, 
but inquiry led to nothing satisfactory, and, proceeding around 
the island, the party next landed on Lanai. It is probable that 
they were driven there by unfavorable winds, as Lanai was a 
dependency of Maui at that time, and none but subject chiefs 
resided on the island. However, they remained there but 
one day, and the next proceeded to Hana, Maui, with the inten- 
tion of crossing over to Hawaii and visiting the court of Kiha 
at Waipio. Inquiring for the nioi, they learned that Kawao had 
removed his court from Lahaina, for the season, to Hamakuapoko, 
to enjoy the cool breezes of that locality and indulge in the 
pleasures of surf-bathing. They were further informed that a 
large number of chiefs had accompanied the moi to that attract- 
ive resort, and that Kelea, sister of the king, and the most beau- 
tiful woman on the island as well as the most daring and accom- 
plished surf-swimmer, was also there as one of the greatest orna- 
ments of the court. 

This was agreeable information, and the party re-embarked 
and arrived the next morning off Hamakuapoko, just as the fair 
Kelea and her attendants had gone down to the beach to indulge 
in a buffet with the surf. Swimming out beyond the breakers, and 
oblivious of everything but her own enjoyment, Kelea suddenly 
found herself within a few yards of the canoe of the Oahuan 
chiefs. Presuming that it contained her own people, she swam 
still closer, when she discovered, to her amazement, that all the 
faces in the canoe were strange to her. Perceiving her embarrass- 
ment, Kalamakua rose to his feet, and, addressing her in a courtly 
and respectful manner, invited her to a seat in the canoe, offering 
to ride the surf with it to the beach — an exciting and sometimes 
dangerous sport, in which great skill and coolness are required. 



KELEA, THE SURF-RIDER OF MAUI. 235 

The language of the chief was so gentle and suggestive of the 
manners of the court that the invitation was accepted, and the 
canoe mounted one of the great waves successively following two 
of lighter bulk and force, and was adroitly and safely beached. 
The achievement was greeted with applause on the shore, and 
when the proposal was made to repeat the performance Kelea 
willingly retained her seat. Again the canoe successfully rode 
the breakers ashore, and then, through her attendants, Kalamakua 
discovered that the fair and dashing swimmer was none other 
than Kelea, the sister of the 7noi of Maui. 

With increased respect Kalamakua again invited his distin- 
guished guest to join in the pleasure and excitement of a third 
ride over the breakers. She consented, and the canoe was once 
more pulled out beyond the surf, where it remamed for a moment, 
awaiting a high, combing roller on which to be borne to the land- 
ing. One passed and was missed, and before another cams a 
squall, or what was called a mumickii, suddenly struck the canoe, 
rendering it utterly unmanageable and driving it out upon the 
broad ocean. 

When the canoe started Kelea would have leaped into the 
sea had she not been restrained ; but Kalamakua spoke so kindly 
to her — assuring her that they would safely ride out the storm 
and return to Hamakuapoko — that she became calmer, and con- 
sented to curl down beside him in the boat to escape the fury of 
the winds. Her shapely limbs and shoulders were bare, and her 
hair, braided and bound loosely back, was still wet, and grew 
chilling in the wind where it fell. Kalamakua took from a cov- 
ered calabash a handsome kihei, or mantle, and wrapped it 
around her shoulders, and then seated her in the shelter of his 
own burly form. She smiled her thanks for these delicate atten- 
tions, and the chief was compelled to admit to himself that the 
reports of her great beauty had not been exaggerated. He coald 
recall no maiden on Oahu who was her equal in grace and comeli- 
ness, and felt that, could she be secured for his eccentric cousin, 
his search would be at an end. He even grew indignant at the 
thought that she might not prove acceptable, but smiled the next 
moment at his promise to marry the girl himself should she be 
refused by his cousin. 

But the fierce mumukii afforded him but little time to indulge 
such dreams. The sea surged in fury, and like a cockleshell the 



236 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

canoe was tossed from one huge wave to another. The spray 
was almost blinding, and, while Kalaraakua kept the little craft 
squarely before the wind as a measure of first importance, his 
companions were earnestly employed in alternately baling and 
trimming as emergency suggested. 

On, on sped the canoe, farther and farther out into the open 
sea, tossed like a feather by the crested waves and pelted by the 
driving spray. The scene was fearful. The southern skies had 
grown black with wrath, and long streamers sent from the clouds 
shot northward as if to surround and cut off the retreat of the flying 
craft. All crouched in the bottom of the boat, intent only on 
keeping it before the wind and preventing it from filling. A frail- 
er craft would have been stove to pieces; but it was hewn from 
the trunk of a sound koa tree, and gallantly rode out the storm. 

But when the wind ceased and the skies cleared, late in the 
afternoon, the canoe was far out at sea and beyond the sight of 
land. It was turned and headed back ; but as there was no wind 
to assist the paddles, and the waters were still rough and restless, 
slow progress toward land was made ; and when the sun went 
down Kalamakua was undecided which way to proceed, as he was 
not certain that the storm had not carried them so far from the 
coast of Maui that some point on Molokai or Oahu might be more 
speedily and safely reached than the place from which they started. 
Their supply of /c/ had been lost during the gale by the break- 
ing of the vessel containing it ; but they had still left a small 
quantity of dried fish, raw potatoes and bananas, and a calabash 
of water, and ate their evening meal as cheerfully as if their 
supplies were exhaustless and the green hills of Waialua smiled 
upon them in the distance. Such was the Hawaiian of the 
past ; such is the Hawaiian of to-day. His joys and griefs are 
centred in the present, and he broods but little over the past, 
and borrows no trouble from the future. 

The stars came out, and a light wind began to steal down 
upon them from the northwest. It was quite chilly, and felt like 
the breath of the returning trade-winds, which start from the froz- 
en shores of northwestern America, and gradually grow warmer 
as they sweep down through the tropic seas. These winds, con- 
tinuing, with intervals of cessation, eight or nine months in the 
year, are what give life, beauty and an endurable climate to the 
Hawaiian group. 



KELEA, THE SURF- RIDER OF MAUI. 



^Z7 



As the breeze freshened sails were raised, and then the course 
to be taken remained to be determined. Kalamakua expressed 
his doubts to Kelea, as if inviting a suggestion from her ; but she 
was unable to offer any advice, declaring that she had not no- 
ticed the course of the wind that had driven them so far out 
upon the ocean. 

"And I am equally in doubt," said the chief. "We may have 
been blown farther toward the rising of the sun than the head- 
lands of Hana. If so, the course we are now sailing would take 
us to Hawaii, if not, indeed, beyond, while in following the even- 
ing star we might even pass Oahu. I therefore suggest a course 
between these two directions, which will certainly bring us to 
land some time to-morrow." 

"Then, since we are all in doubt," replied Kelea, "and the 
winds are blowing landward, why not trust to the gods and follow 
them ? " 

" Your words are an inspiration," returned the chief, delighted 
that she had suggested a course that would enable him to make 
Oahu direct ; for, as may be suspected, he was an accomplished 
navigator, and was really in little or no doubt concerning the 
direction of the several islands mentioned. "You have spoken 
wisely," he continued, as if yielding entirely to her judgment ; 
" we will follow the winds that are now cooling the shores of 
Hamakuapoko." 

Thus adroitly was Kelea made a consenting party to her own 
abduction. Kalamakua took the helm, slightly changing the 
course of the canoe, and his companions made themselves com- 
fortable for the evening. Their wet rolls of kapa had been dried 
during the afternoon, and there was room enough to spare to ar- 
range a couch for Kelea in the bottom of the boat. But she was 
too much excited over the strange events of the day to sleep, or 
even attempt to rest, and therefore sat near Kalamakua in the 
stern of the canoe until past midnight, watching the stars and 
listening to the story, with which he knew she must sooner or 
later become acquainted, of his romantic expedition in search of 
a wife for his cousin. 

It is needless to say that Kalea was surprised and interested 
in the relation ; and when Kalamakua referred to the high rank 
of his cousin, to his handsome person and large estates at Lihue, 
and begged her to regard with favor the proposal of marriage 



238 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

which he then made to her in behalf of Lo-Lale, she frankly re- 
plied that, if her royal brother did not object, she would give the 
proffer consideration. 

As Kalamakua had concluded not to take the hazard of secur- 
ing the consent of her brother, who doubtless had some other 
matrimonial project in view for her, he construed her answer into 
a modestly expressed willingness to become the wife of Lo-Lale, 
and the more resolutely bent his course toward Oahu. He watched 
the Pleiades — the great guide of the early Polynesian navigators 
— as they swept up into the heavens, and, bearing still farther to 
the northward to escape Molokai, announced that he would keep 
the steering-oar for the night, and advised his companions, now 
that the breeze was steady and the sea smoother, to betake them- 
selves to rest. And Kelea at last curled down upon her couch 
of kapa, and Kalamakua was left alone with his thoughts to watch 
the wind and stars. 

Although a long and steady run had been made during the 
night, no land was visible the next morning. Kelea scanned the 
horizon uneasily, and, without speaking, looked at Kalamakua for 
an explanation. 

"Before the sun goes down we shall see land," said the chief. 

"What land ? " inquired Kelea. 

" Oahu," was the reply, but the chief was not greeted with 
the look of surprise expected. 

" I am not disappointed," returned the princess, quite in- 
differently. " You seem to have been sailing by the wan- 
dering stars last night, for before daylight I looked up and 
saw by Kao that your course was directly toward the place of 
sunset." 

Five of the planets — Mercury, Mars, Venus, Jupiter and 
Saturn — were known to the ancient Hawaiians, and designated 
as na Jioku aea, or wandering stars. The fixed stars were also 
grouped by them into constellations, and Kao was their name for 
Antares. 

With a look of genuine surprise Kalamakua replied : 

" I did not know before that so correct a knowledge of navi- 
gation was among the many accomplishments of the sister of 
Kawao." 

" It required no great knowledge of the skies to discover last 
night that we were not bearing southward, and needs still less 



KELEA, THE SURF- RIDER OF MAUI. 239 

now to observe that we are sailing directly west," Kelea quietly- 
remarked. 

" I will not attempt to deceive one who seems to be able to 
instruct me in journeying over the blue waters," said Kalamakua, 
politely. " Your judgment is correct. We are sailing nearly 
westward, and the first land sighted will probably be the head- 
lands of Kaawa." 

"You have acted treacherously," resumed the princess, after a 
pause, as if suddenly struck with the propriety of protesting 
against the abduction. 

" Possibly," was the brief reply. 

"Yes," she continued, after another pause, "you have acted 
treacherously, and my brother will make war upon Oahu unless 
I am immediately returned to Hamakuapoko." 

" He will find work for his spears," was the irritating response. 

" Is it a habit with the chiefs of Oahu to steal their wives ? " 
inquired Kelea, tauntingly. 

" No," Kalamakua promptly replied ; "but I would not eat 
from the same calabash with the chief who would throw back 
into the face of the generous winds the gift of the rarest flower 
that ever blossomed on Hawaiian soil ! " 

The pretty compliment of the chief moved Kelea to silence ; 
yet he observed that there was a sparkle of pleasure in her eyes, 
and that the novelty and romance of the situation were not alto- 
gether distasteful to her. 

Land was sighted late in the afternoon. It was Kaoio Point, 
on the western side of Oahu. Rounding it, they landed at Ma- 
hana, where they procured food and water and passed the night, 
and the next day had an easy voyage to Waialua. 

Landing, Kalamakua at once communicated with Piliwale, 
giving the high rank of Kelea, as well as the strange circum- 
stances under which she had been brought to Waialua. Queen 
Paakanilea promptly despatched attendants to the beach with ap- 
propriate apparel, and in due time the distinguished visitor was 
received at the royal mansion in a manner consistent with her 
rank. 

The next day a message brought Lo-Lale from Lihue. He 
was dressed in his richest trappings, and brought with him, as an 
offering to Kelea, a rare necklace of shells and curiously-carved 
mother-of-pearl. He was conducted to the princess by Kalama- 



240 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

kua. They seemed to be mutually pleased with each other. In 
fact, Lo-Lale was completely charmed by the fair stranger, and 
in his enthusiasm offered to divide his estates with his cousin 
as an evidence of his gratitude. 

Kalamakua had himself become very much interested in 
Kelea, and secretly hoped that his cousin might find something 
in her blood or bearing to object to, in which case he felt that 
she might be induced to regard his own suit with favor ; but Lo- 
Lale declared her to be a model of perfection, and wooed her 
with so much earnestness that she finally consented to become 
his wife without waiting to hear from her brother. 

Her rank was quite equal to that of Lo-Lale, and the king was 
so greatly pleased with the union that he added considerably to the 
estates of his brother at Lihue, and the nuptials were celebrated 
with games, feasting, dancing and the commencement of a new 
heiau near Waialua, which was in time completed and dedicated 
to Lono, with a large image of Laainao7nao, the Hawaiian ^olus, 
at the inner entrance, in poetic commemoration of the winds 
that drove Kelea away from the coast of Maui. 

At the conclusion of the festivities at Waialua, Kelea was 
borne all the way to Lihue in a richly-mounted manele, or native 
palanquin with four bearers. There were three hundred attend- 
ants in her train, exclusive of thirty-six chiefs as a guard of hon- 
or, wearing feather capes and helmets, and armed with javelins 
festooned with lets of flowers and tinted feathers. It was a right 
royal procession, and its entrance into Lihue was the beginning 
of another round of festivities continuing for many days. Por- 
tions of the Jiiele recited by Lo-Lale in welcome of his wife to 
Lihue are still remembered and repeated, and the occasion was 
a popular theme of song and comment for a generation or more 
among the people of that district. 

And thus Kelea, the beautiful sister of the moi of Maui, be- 
came the wife of Lo-Lale, brother of Piliwale, king of Oahu. 



IL 

It is now in order to return to Hamakuapoko, to note what 
transpired there on the sudden disappearance of Kelea before the 
strong breath of the miimiiku. The king was profoundly grieved, 
and summoned the attendants of his sister to learn the particu- 



KELEA, THE SURF- RIDER OF MAUI. 24 1 

lars of the misfortune. To all of them it was manifest that the 
canoe had been blown out to sea in spite of the efforts of its oc- 
cupants, aad, as the gale continued to increase in violence dur- 
ing the day, it was feared that the entire party had perished. As 
to the strangers, no one seemed to know anything of them or of 
the island from which they came. They did not seem to belong 
to the makaai7iana, or common people, and one of them, it was 
believed from his bearing, was a high chief. 

This was all the information the wailing attendants were able 
to give. One man, who had noticed the canoe as it came and 
went through the surf, thought it was from Hawaii, while another 
was equally certain that it was from Oahu ; but as the general 
structure of canoes on the several islands of the group differed 
but little, their descriptions of the craft furnished no real clue to 
the mystery. 

With the cessation of the storm, late in the afternoon, came 
a hope to Kavvao that the missing canoe had safely ridden out 
the gale, and would seek the nearest land favored by the chang- 
ing winds. He therefore summoned the high-priest, and in- 
structed him to put his diviners and magicians to the task of 
discovering what had become of the princess Kelea. Pigs 
and fowls were slain, prayers were said in the helau, and late in 
the evening information came through supernatural agencies that 
Kelea was still living. But this was not satisfactory to the king. 
He demanded something more specific, and a kaula of great 
sanctity was prepared and placed in the a?iu, a wicker enclosure 
within the inner court, and in due time, in answer to the ques- 
tions of the high-priest, announced that the canoe containing the 
princess was sailing in safety toward Oahu. 

The words of the kaula were repeated to the king, and the 
next day he despatched a well-manned canoe, in charge of one of 
his plumed kahimamis, or military aids, to find and bring back 
the lost Kelea. Owing to unfavorable winds or bad management 
the canoe did not reach Makapuu Point, Oahu, until the fourth 
day. Proceeding along the northeastern coast of the island, and 
landing wherever practicable to make inquiries, the easy-going 
messenger did not arrive at Waialua until two days after the de- 
parture of Kelea for Lihue. 

Learning that the princess had become the wife of Lo-Lale, 
the disappointed halumanu did not deem it necessary to commu- 



242 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

nicate with her, but briefly paid his respects to the king, to whom 
he made known the nature of his errand to Oahu, and his resolu- 
tion to return at once to Maui and acquaint his royal master with 
the result of his mission. 

Appreciating that, in his anxiety to see his brother properly 
mated, he had countenanced a proceeding sufficiently discourte- 
ous to the moi of Maui to warrant a hostile response, Piliwale 
treated the halumanu with marked kindness and consideration, 
and insisted upon sending an escort with him back to Maui, in- 
cluding the bearer of a friendly explanatory message from him- 
self to Kawao. For this delicate service no one could be found 
so competent as the courtly Kalamakua, who was well versed in 
the genealogy of the Kalona family, and would be able to satis- 
factorily, if not quite truthfully, explain why it was that the canoe 
containing the princess, when driven out to sea, was headed for 
Oahu instead of Maui when the storm abated. 

Kalamakua was accordingly despatched on the mission. Be- 
ing a much better sailor than the halumami, he found no difficul- 
ty either in parting company with him off the coast of eastern 
Maui or in reaching Hamakuapoko three or four hours in ad- 
vance of the party he was courteously escorting thither. This 
enabled the wily Oahuan to secure an audience with the king, and 
deliver his message and explanation in full, before the halumanu 
could land and give his version of the story. 

Kalamakua's explanation of the impossibility, after the storm, 
of reaching in safety any land other than Oahu or Molokai, 
seemed to be satisfactory ; and when he dwelt upon the well- 
known high rank of Lo-Lale, as recognized by the aha-alii, and 
referred to his manly bearing, his amiable disposition and the 
amplitude of his estates, Kawao answered sadly : 

" Then so let it be. It is perhaps the will of the gods. I 
would have had it otherwise ; but be to Kelea and her husband, 
and to my royal brother the king of Oahu, my messenger of 
peace." 

Thanking the moi for his kindly words, Kalamakua took his 
leave. As he was about to re-embark in the afternoon for Oahu, 
the discomfited haliunanu, having but just then landed, passed 
him on the beach. Knowing that he had been outwitted, in his 
wrath he reached for the handle of his knife. But he did not 
draw it. Kalamakua stopped and promptly answered the chal- 



KELEA, THE SURF-RIDER OF MAUI. 



243 



lenge ; but the halumanu passed on, and with a smile he stepped 
into his canoe, and a few minutes later was on his way to Oahu 
with Kawao's welcome messages of peace. 

As the years came and went in their quiet home at Lihue, Lo- 
Lale lost none of his affection for Kelea. No wars distracted the 
group. Liloa, the son of Kiha and father of Umi, had become the 
peaceful sovereign of Hawaii; Kahakuma, the ancestor of some of 
the most distinguished families of the islands, held gentle and in- 
telligent sway in Kauai ; Kawao still ruled in Maui, and Piliwale 
in Oahu. 

To gratify his wife, Lo-Lale surrounded her with every com- 
fort. The choicest fruits of the island were at her command, and 
every day fresh fish and other delicacies of the sea were brought 
to her from the neighboring coasts. In short, everything not 
tabu to the sex was provided without stint. Summer-houses were 
constructed for her in the cool recesses of the Waianae Moun- 
tains, and a nianele, with relays of stout bearers, was always at 
her service for the briefest journeys. The people of the district 
were proud T)f her rank and beauty, and at seasons of hookupii, or 
gift-making, she was fairly deluged with rare and valuable offer- 
ings. 

Yet, with all this affluence of comfort and affection, Kelea be- 
came more and more restless and unhappy. Nor did the presence 
of her children, of whom she had three, seem to render her more 
contented. She longed for the sea ; for the bounding surf which 
had been the sport of her girlhood ; for the white-maned steeds 
of ocean, which she had so often mounted and fearlessly ridden 
to the shore ; for the thunder of the breakers against the cliffs ; 
for the murmur of the reef-bound wavelets timidly crawling up 
the beach to kiss and cool her feet ; and the more she yearned 
for her old-time pleasures, the greater became her dissatisfaction 
with the tamer life and surroundings of Lihue. 

Knowing her love for the sea, Lo-Lale made occasional ex- 
cursions with her to the coast, frequently remaining there for 
days together. Sometimes they visited the east and sometinxes 
the south side of the island ; but the place which seemed to 
please her above all others was Ewa, where Kalamakua made his 
home. He, too, loved the sea, and during her visits there af- 
forded her every opportunity to indulge her passion for it. To- 
gether they had charming sails around the Puuloa (Pearl River) 



244 



THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 



lagoon, and gallant rides over the surf at the entrance. There, 
and there only, did she seem to recover her spirits ; there only 
did she seem to be happy. 

This did not escape the notice of Lo-Lale, and a great grief 
filled his heart as he sometimes thought, in noting her brightened 
look in the presence of Kalamakua, that it was less the charms 
of the surf than of his cousin's handsome face that made the 
waters of Ewa so attractive to Kelea. 

Life at Lihue finally became so irksome to her, and even the 
continued kindness of Lo-Lale so unwelcome, that she announced 
her determination to leave the home of her husband for ever. 
This resolution was not altogether unexpected by Lo-Lale, for he 
had not been blind to her growing restlessness and was prepared 
for the worst ; and as the prerogatives of her high rank gave her 
the undoubted privilege of separation if she desired it, he reluc- 
tantly consented to the divorcement. When asked where it was 
her purpose to go, she answered: "Probably to Maui, to rejoin my 
brother." 

" More probably not beyond Ewa," was Lo-Lale's significant 
reply. "But, no matter where you may go," he continued, with 
dignity, " take your departure from Lihue in a manner consistent 
with your rank. You were received here as became the sister of 
a king and the wife of the son of Kalona-iki. So would I have you 
depart. I reproach you with nothing, myself with nothing ; there- 
fore let us part in peace." 

"We part in peace," was Kelea's only answer, and the next 
morning she quietly took her departure with four or five attend- 
ants. A chant expressive of Lo-Lale's grief at the separation was 
long after recited, but these lines are all of it that have been pre- 
served : 

" Farewell, my partner on the lowland plains, 
On the waters of Pohakeo, 
Above Kanehoa, 

On the dark mountain spur of Mauna-una ! 
O Lihue, she is gone ! 
SnifF the sweet scent of the grass, 
The sweet scent of the wild vines 
That are twisted by Waikoloa, 
By the winds of Waiopua, 
My flower ! 
As if a mote were in my eye, 



KELEA, THE SURF-RIDER OF MAUI. 245 

The pupil of my eye is troubled ; 
Dimness covers my eyes. Woe is me !" 



Leaving Lihue, Kelea descended to Ewa, and, skirting the 
head of the lagoon by way of Halawa, on the afternoon of the 
second day arrived at the entrance, immediately opposite Puualoa. 
There she found a large number of nobles and retainers of Kala- 
makua, the high chief of the district, amusing themselves in the 
surf. As she had not seen the salt water for some months, Kelea 
could not resist the temptation to indulge in her old pastime, and, 
borrowing a surf-board from one of the bathers, plunged into the 
sea, and soon joined the party of surf-riders beyond the breakers. 

Soon a huge roller made its appearance, and all mounted it 
and started for the shore. The race was exciting, for the most 
expert swimmers in the district were among the contestants ; but 
in grace, daring and skill Kelea very plainly excelled them all, 
and was loudly cheered as she touched the shore. Kalamakua 
was reposing in the shade, not far away, and, hearing the tumult 
of voices, inquired the cause. He was told that a beautiful 
woman from Lihue had beaten all the chiefs at surf-riding, and 
the people could not restrain their enthusiasm. Satisfied that 
there was but one Lihue woman who could perform such a feat, 
and that she must be Kelea, the wife of his cousin Lo-Lale, he 
proceeded to the beach just as a second trial had resulted in a 
triumph to the fair contestant quite as emphatic as the first. As 
she touched the shore Kalamakua threw his kihei (mantle) over 
her shoulders and respectfully greeted her. Kelea then informed 
him that she had formally separated from her husband and was 
about to embark for Maui. 

" If that is the case," said Kalamakua, gently taking her by the 
arm, as if to restrain her, " you will go no farther than Ewa. 
When I went in search of a wife for Lo-Lale, I promised that if 
he objected to the woman I brought or recommended, or she to 
him, I would take her myself, if she so willed. You have ob- 
jected to him. Is Kalamakua better to your liking ? " 

"I will remain at Ewa," was the satisfactory answer. 

" Yes, and you should have gone there instead of to Lihue, 
when you landed at Waialua years ago," continued Kalamakua, 
earnestly. 

"My thought is the same," was Kelea's frank avowal ; and she 



246 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA JVAII. 

beckoned to her attendants, and told Kalamakua that she was 
ready to follow him. 

Did he expect her at the beach that morning ? Tradition 
offers no direct answer to the question, but significantly mentions 
that Kalamakua spent one or two days at Lihue not long before, 
that houses were in readiness for her at Ewa, and that she was 
borne thither on a manele, escorted by the principal chiefs and 
nobles of the district. 

Learning, not long after, that Kelea had become the wife of 
Kalamakua, the gentle-hearted Lo-Lale sent to her a present of 
fruits and a message of peace and forgiveness ; but it was his 
request that they might never meet again, and he spent the re- 
mainder of his days in Lihue, caring for the welfare of his people 
and dreaming in the shadows of the hills of Kaala. 

But little more need here be told. Kelea and Kalamakua 
lived happily together, and were blessed with a daughter, Laielo- 
helohe, who inherited her mother's beauty, and became the wife 
of her cousin Piilani, son and successor of Kawao, nioi of Maui ; 
but it was not until after the betrothal of the cousins, which was 
agreed to in their childhood, that Kawao fully forgave his volatile 
sister for marrying a prince of Oahu without his consent. 

Piikea, one of the daughters of Piilani and Laielohelohe, be- 
came in after-time the wife of the great Umi, of Hawaii, and 
through her great-grandson, I, the ancestress of Kalakaua, the 
present sovereign of the group. Lono-a-Pii, another of their 
children, succeeded his father as nwi of Maui. 

As a further example of the manner in which the blood of 
the reigning families of the several islands of the group was com- 
mingled in the early periods of their history, it may be mentioned 
that Kaholi, a son of Lo-Lale and Kelea, was united in marriage 
to Kohipa, one of the two daughters of Piliwale ; while the other, 
Kukaniloko, who followed her father as sovereign of Oahu, be- 
came the wife of Luaia, grandson of Kakaalaneo, the joint ruler 
of Maui during the reign of the unfortunate Kakae. 



Umi, the Peasant Prince of Hawaii. 



CHARACTERS. 

KiHA, king of Hawaii. 

Ika, chief of a band of demi-demons. 

PuAPUA-LENALENA, a demon dog. 

LiLOA, afterwards king of Hawaii. 

PiNEA, wife of Liloa. 

Hakau, son and successor of Liloa. 

Kapukini, daughter of Liloa. 

Akahia-kuleana, a peasant girl loved by Liloa. 

Umi, son of Akahia-kuleana. 

Maakao, husband of Akahia-kuleana. 

Kukulani, wife of Hakau. 

Kulamea, the betrothed of Umi. 

Maukaleoleo, the giant friend of Umi, 

Laeanui, the high-priest of Hawaii. 

Kaoleioku, a warrior-priest. 

NuNAand) ^j^^j^^f ^^jpi^_ 

Kalohe, ) 

Omaukamau, brother of Kulamea, and [ lieutenants of Ui 

PlIMAIWAA, ' 



UMI, THE PEASANT PRINCE OF HA- 
WAII. 



LEGENDS OF LILOA, HAKAU, AND 

" KIHA-PU." 



NOWHERE on the island of Hawaii do the palms grow 
taller than in the valleys of AVaipio, and nowhere is the 
folia:ge greener, for every month in the year they are refreshed 
with rains, and almost hourly cooled in the shadows of passing 
clouds. 

And sweet are the waters that sing through the valleys of 
Waipio. They are fed by the tears of the trade-winds gathered 
in the shaded gorges of the mountains where they find their 
source, and are speeded to the ocean by hurrying and impatient 
cascades through black channels fretted with bowlders and 
fringed with everlasting green. 

Tradition says the waters of Waipio, after their first descent 
from the hills, at one time crawled quite sluggishly to the sea ; 
but a great fish — larger than the island of Kaula — whose home 
was in the depths off the coast of Hamakua, required more fresh 
water than was furnished by the principal stream of the valley, 
and Kane, who was frieadly with the monster, increased the vol- 
ume of the little river by creating new springs at its sources, 
and accelerating the flow by raising the bed in places and pro- 
viding additional riffles and cascades. The great fish no longer 
frequents that part of the coast of Hamakua, but the cascades 
and riffles remain, with the broad finger-marks of Kane upon the 
rocks hurled into the gorge to create them. 

Although but thinly populated now, Waipio was for many 

generations in the past a place of great political and social im 

portance, and the tabus of its great temple were the most sacred 

in all Hawaii. For two hundred years or more it was the resi- 

249 



250 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

dence of the kings of that island, and was the scene of royal 
pageants, priestly power and knightly adventure, as well as of 
many sanguinary battles. 

Waipio valley was first occupied as a royal residence by 
Kahaimoelea, near the middle or close of the thirteenth century, 
and so continued until after the death of Liloa, about the end of 
the fifteenth century. For some reason not clearly stated the 
successor of Liloa removed his court from Waipio to the oppo- 
site coast of the island. Although the glory of the old capital 
departed with its abandonment as the royal residence, the tabus 
of its great temple of Paakalani continued to command supreme 
respect until as late as i79i,when the heiau was destroyed, with 
all its sacred symbols and royal associations, by the confederated 
forces of Maui and Kauai in their war with Kamehameha I. 

Although the story about to be related opens in the reign of 
Liloa, which closed with his death in about 1485, it is pertinent 
to refer, as briefly as the strange circumstances of the time will 
permit, to the father of that sovereign — the great Kiha — con- 
cerning whose career many curious traditions survive. The reign 
of Kiha was long and peaceful. He was endowed not only with 
marked abilities as a ruler, but with unusual physical strength 
and skill in the use of arms. In addition to these natural advan- 
tages and accomplishments, which gave him the respect and fear 
of his subjects, it was popularly believed that he possessed super- 
natural resources, and could call to his aid, in an emergency, 
weird forces in opposition to which mere human endeavor would 
be weak and fruitless. Under the circumstances, it is not strange 
that the chiefs of the neighboring islands deemed it prudent to 
court his friendship, and that no great wars distracted the king- 
dom during his reign. 

Among the means at the command of Kiha for summoning to 
his assistance the invisible forces subject to his call, the most 
potential was a curious war-trumpet, the notes of which, when 
blown by Kiha, could be heard a distance of ten miles, even 
from Waipio to Waimea. According to the character of the 
blast, its voice was either a summons to unseen powers, a rally- 
ing-cry to the people, or a dreadful challenge to battle. This 
trumpet was a large sea-shell. It was a native of foreign waters, 
and another like it could not be found in the Hawaiian group. 
It was ornamented with rows of the teeth of distinguished chiefs 



UMI, THE PEASANT PRINCE OF HAWAII. 25 I 

slain in battle, and could be so blown as to bring forth the 
dying groans or battle cries of all of them in dreadful diapason. 

Many legends are related of the manner in which Kiha be- 
came possessed of this marvellous shell, but the most probable 
explanation is that it was brought from some one of the Samoan 
or Society Islands three or four centuries before, and had been 
retained in the reigning family of Hawaii as a charm against cer- 
tain evils. In the hands of the crafty Kiha, however, it devel- 
oped new powers and became an object of awe in the royal 
household. Whatever may have been the beneficent or diabolic 
virtues of this shell-clarion of Kiha — of the Kiha-pu, as it is 
called — its existence, at least, was a reality, since it is to-day one 
of the attractions of the Royal Hawaiian Museum of Honolulu, 
brought down by the Kamehameha branch of the Kiha line. 
When vigorously blown it still responds in sonorous voice, sug- 
gestive of the roar of breakers around the jutting cliffs of Hama- 
kua ; but Lo?io no longer heeds the mandate of its call, and 
brown-armed warriors come no more at its bidding. Of the 
many strange stories still retained of the Kiha-pii, one is here 
given, nearly in the language in which it has come down in Ha- 
waiian chant and song. 

A STORY OF THE KIHA-PU. 

For a period of eight years, during the reign of Kiha, the 
Kiha-pu was missing from the cabinet of royal charms and trea- 
sures. A new temple was to be dedicated to Lono, not far from 
Waipio, and feathers of the maino, 00 and other birds were requir- 
ed to weave into royal mantles and redecorate Kaili and other 
gods of the king's household. But one of the Kahu alii, consti- 
tuting the five classes of guardians of the royal person, was per- 
mitted to touch the Kiha-pu, nor did any other know of its de- 
pository in the king's chamber His name was Hiolo. He was 
the son of a distinguished chief, and his office was that of 
ipuhiha, or spittoon-bearer — a position of peculiar responsibility, 
which could be filled only by persons of noble blood and un- 
doubted attachment to their sovereign. 

Desirous of hastily assembling and despatching to the neigh- 
boring sea-shores and mountains a birge party of feather-hunters, 
the king, reclining in the shade of the palms in front of the 



252 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

royal mansion, commanded Hiolo to bring to him the Kiha-pu, 
that he might with a single blast summon his subjects throughout 
the valleys of Waipio. Hiolo proceeded to the chamber of the 
king, and a few minutes after returned pale and speechless, and 
threw himself at the feet of Kiha, tearing his hair, lacerating his 
flesh with his nails, and exhibiting other evidences of extreme 
agony and desperation. 

Nothing ever startled a sovereign of the line of Pili. Under 
all circumstances he acted with apparent deliberation. It was a 
natural trait, strengthened by example and education. 

Kiha calmly regarded his ipukuha for a moment, and then 
said : 

"What spirit of evil possesses you ? Rise, Hiolo, and speak ! " 

Hiolo rose to his feet, and, with a look of despair, exclaimed : 

" It is no fault of mine ; but tear out the tongue that tells 
you the Kiha-pu is gone ! " 

Without replying, the king, with a terrible scowl upon his 
face, rose and strode into his chamber. Parting the curtains 
of kapa which secluded the back portion of the apartment, he 
stepped to an elaborately carved and ornamented ipu, a contain- 
er shaped and hollowed from the trunk of a koa tree. He found 
the vessel open, and beside it on the matted floor the several 
folds of kapa in which the Kiha-pu had been wrapped ; but in- 
stead of the sacred trumpet he discovered at the bottom of the 
ipu a hideously-carved head and face of stone. The shell had 
been adroitly abstracted, but the image that had been left in 
its place saved the life of Hiolo, for by it Kiha discerned that 
the theft and substitution had been aichieved through superna- 
tural agencies. 

The loss of the Kiha-pu was a great grief to the king. But 
he did not deem it prudent to admit that he no longer pos- 
sessed the sacred talisman, and therefore announced to Hiolo 
that the trumpet had been found. Under the pretence that it 
had been carelessly misplaced by Hiolo, Kiha declared that he 
would be its sole guardian thereafter. 

There was great joy at the court when it was learned 
from the lips of the king that the Kiha-pu had been found ; 
yet it was observed thnt it was not used to summon the feath- 
er-hunters, and after the sun went down that evening many 
thought they faintly heard the music of its voice coming in 



UMI, THE PEASANT PRINCE OF HAWAII. 253 

from the sea. And the king detected the familiar sound, and, 
fearful that others might hear it as well, called together his 
poets and hula dancers, and permitted their boisterous merri- 
ment far into the night. 

Early in the evening, while the palace grounds were a 
scene of revelry, the king repaired alone to the great temple of 
Paakalani, not far from the royal mansion, to consult with 
the high-priest and put in motion the weird forces of the heiau 
for the recovery of the Kiha-pu. He took with him the im- 
age left in the ipu, as a possible means of assistance, and en- 
joined a solemn secrecy upon every kahuna taken into the 
confidence of the high-priest. 

The most noted kilos, seers and prophets of the temple were 
ordered to apply their arts, and a kaula, inspired by incanta- 
tion, was questioned from within the anu of the inner sanctu- 
ary. The clouds were noted, the flights of birds observed, and 
the dreams of drugged priests interpreted, but nothing satisfac- 
tory was developed. Prayers were offered to the gods, sacrifices 
were laid upon the altar, and the vitals of freshly-slain pigs and 
fowls were carefully examined ; but the only information ob- 
tained was that the Kiha-pu had been stolen by the chief of 
a band of demi-demons, or human beings controlled by evil 
spirits ; that it was no longer on the island of Hawaii, but some- 
where on the ocean beyond the eight Hawaiian seas ; that it 
would one day be recovered by a being without hands and 
wearing neither mantle nor maro, but not until a cocoa-tree, 
planted in the next full of the moon, should yield its first fruit, 
to be eaten by the king. 

So far as concerned the theft of the Kiha-pu, the seers of the 
temple had spoken correctly. For some months a dense forest 
in the mountains back of Waipio, interspersed with marshes and 
patches of rank undergrowth, had been inhabited by a small 
band of wild-looking men, who boldly helped themselves to 
the pigs, fowls and fruits of the neighboring farmers, and held 
noisy festivals almost nightly within the gloomy recesses of 
their mountain retreat. They were said to be only half-human, 
and capable of assuming other than their natural forms. They 
had occasionally visited Waipio in parties of from two to five, and 
entertained the people by telling fortunes and exhibiting strange 
feats of posturing and legerdemain. In the guise of an old 



254 "^HE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

woman the chief of the band had entered the royal mansion 
and stolen the Kiha-pu, leaving in its place the hideous stone 
image mentioned ; then, as if the object of their stay near Wai- 
pio had been attained, the entire band embarked the evening 
of the next day in stolen canoes for Kauai. When safely off 
the coast of Hamakua the demon-chief had defiantly wound a 
blast from the Kiha-pu, which the king had sought to drown in 
the tumult of the hula. 

Kiha departed gloomily from the temple. The loss of the 
sacred trumpet afflicted him sorely. It had long been an heir- 
loom in the royal family of Hawaii, and its powers had been 
increased during his reign. In obedience to the revelation of 
a kaula of great sanctity, he had secretly deposited it in a cave 
near the summit of Mauna Kea and retired to a valley below. 
Near the middle of the following night a sound unearthly 
and terrible came echoing down the mountain-side, followed 
by a hurricane which uprooted trees and tore great rocks from 
their fastenings and hurled them into the gorges below. The 
earth trembled as if a volcano was about to burst forth, and 
a ruddy light hung about the summit. The sound ceased, the 
wind fell to a whisper, and Kiha rose to his feet in the dark- 
ness and said : " It is well. The great Lono has kept faith. 
He has blown the sacred trumpet, and henceforth it will have 
the voice of a god ! " The next morning he repaired to the 
cave, and found the shell, not where he had left it, but on the 
top of a huge rock with which the entrance had been for ever 
closed. He raised the trumpet to his lips, and such sound as 
his heart desired came forth at the bidding of his breath. He 
breathed a simple call to his subjects, and it was heard the dis- 
tance of a day's journey. He gave a battle-blast, and his ears 
were stunned with the mingled cries and groans of conflict. 
He ventured an appeal to the unseen, and to a weird music 
around him rose gnomes, fairies and grinning monsters. He re- 
turned elated to the palace, and more and more, as its strange 
voices were heard, did the Kiha-pu become an object of awe 
and wonder. 

Although he took every possible precaution to keep from the 
people all knowledge of the loss of the Kiha-pu, the king had 
little faith in the assurances of the seers of the great temple 
that it would in time be recovered. The conditions of its re- 



UMI, THE PEASANT PRINCE OF HAWAII. 255 

covery were too vague, distant and unsatisfactory to be entitled 
to serious consideration. However, within a few days, with his 
own hands he planted a cocoa-tree near the door of his chamber, 
and had a strong fence placed around it. He visited the spot 
daily and saw that the ground was kept moist, and in due time 
a healthy shoot came forth to reward his watchfulness. The 
members of the royal household wondered at the interest taken 
by the king in a simple cocoa sprout ; but when it was intimated 
that he was making a new experiment in planting, his care of 
the little tree ceased to attract remark. 

And now, while the king is anxiously watching the growth 
of his cocoa-tree, and carefully guarding it from accident and 
blight, let us follow the travels of the Kiha-pu. Instead of sail- 
ing for Kauai through the island channels, the band of demi- 
demons took a northwest course, intending to reach their desti- 
nation without touching at any intermediate point. The pow- 
ers of the Kiha-pu were known to them, and their chief amused 
himself and his graceless companions by testing its virtues. 
When off the coast of Maui a blast of the trumpet brought near 
Ukanipo, a terrible shark-god, sent by Kuida, the powerful but 
exacting god of the fishermen of that island. On a jutting head- 
land could be seen a heiau dedicated to him and his wife, Hina. 
Hundreds of sharks followed in the train of Ukanipo. They 
surrounded the canoes and lashed the sea into foam. Sepa- 
rating, they formed a great circle around the little fleet, and, 
swiftly approaching, drove a school of flying-fish across the ca- 
noes, many striking the sails and falling into the open boats and 
thus providing an opportune supply of favorite food. 

Sighting Molokai, they thought of landing to replenish their 
water-calabashes ; but as the coast was rugged and the wind un- 
favorable, a blast of the trumpet was blown to Kuluiau, the god- 
dess of rain. Instantly there was a commotion in the heavens. 
Black clouds began to gather around them, and they had barely 
time to arrange their kapa sheds and funnels before the rain 
poured down in torrents and filled their calabashes to overflowing. 

Believing the Kiha-pu would bring them anything they de- 
sired, and returning thanks for nothing received, when off the 
northern coast of Molokai, near Kaulapapa, they sounded a call to 
Laamaomao, god of the winds, who since the days of Moikeha, 
more than two centuries before, had occupied a cave on that isl- 



256 THE LEGEXDS AXD MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

and. Enraged at an appeal for favoring winds from such a source, 
LaamaoTfiao opened the mouth of the ipu in which he kept 
the winds imprisoned, and turned it toward the sea, A few 
minutes after a hot, fierce hurricane struck the canoes of the 
miscreants, upsetting two of them and tearing their sails in tat- 
ters. The chief had sufficient presence of mind to call through 
the trumpet for Maikahulipu, the god who assists in righting upset 
canoes, and the foundered boats were soon restored to their pro- 
per positions and partially freed from water. But there was 
no abatement in the violence of the wind. For more than a 
day and a night the canoes were driven before it almost with 
the speed of a shark, until finally their drenched and wearied 
occupants heard before them through the darkness the sound 
of breakers against a rock-bound shore. The danger was immi- 
nent, for paddles were useless. Raising the trumpet to his lips, 
the chief called for Uhumakaikai, a powerful fish-god. No re- 
sponse came, and the cliffs frowned before him as he hastily 
trumpeted for Apukohai, another fish-god of Kauai, whose acts 
were usually cruel and malicious. The spraj^ of shattered waves 
against the rocks began to wet the canoes, when they were 
seized by a force unseen, darwn away from the cliffs, swept 
around a northward point, and flung by the waves upon a sandy 
beach not far from Koloa, 

Thus escaping with their lives, the party traveled overland 
and joined a band of congenial spirits in the mountains back of 
Waimea, where they remained until they were driven from the 
island for their misdemeanors. Lea%4ng Kauai, they crossed the 
channel, and, after mo-iong from place to place for some years,^ 
finally took up their abode in a secluded spot near Waolani, on 
the island of Oahu. 

In the possession of the Kiha-pu, Ika, the chief of the band, 
who claimed it as his individual property, became cruel and dic- 
tatorial to his companions. He esteemed himself little less than 
a god, and demanded a full half of all the earnings and pilferings 
of his associates. As the Kiha-pu was the cause of this exaction, 
one of the friends of Ika, not daring to destroy or purloin the 
shell, resolved to despoil it of its magic powers. To this end, 
with great offerings of pigs and fowls, he consulted a priest of 
Lono at Waianae, and was told that a tabu mark, placed some- 
where on the shell with the approval of Lono, would accomplish 



UMI, THE PEASANT PRINCE OF HAWAII. 257 

what was desired. As the priest alone could place the mark upon 
the shell, he consented to visit Waolani, and remain in the neigh- 
borhood until the trumpet could be brought to him. Everything 
having been arranged, one evening Ika, without great persuasion, 
was made drunk with awa, when the shell was stolen and con- 
veyed to the priest, who, with a point of flint, hastily scratched 
near the outer rim a pea mark, or tabu cross, meantime burning 
incense and chanting a low jjrayer to Loiio. 

"Can its powers be restored?" inquired the friend of Ika, as 
the tabued trumpet was returned to him. 

" Not while the tabu mark remains," replied the priest ; " not 
until — but no matter ; its magic voices are silent now." 

Before Ika awoke from his drunken stupor the Kiha-pu had 
been restored to its usual place of deposit. 

The next morning Ika partook of more awa, threw over his 
shoulders a cape of red — a color sacred to the gods — suspended 
the Kiha-pu from his neck with a cord of human hair, and went 
proudly forth to receive the homage of his companions. But 
they refused to accord him the honors to which he imagined he 
was entitled, and in his wrath he raised the trumpet to his lips to 
blast them with a proclamation of his superiority. A natural and 
monotonous sound issued from the shell. He regarded it for a 
moment with amazement, then replaced it to his lips and poured 
his breath into it with the full force of his lungs ; but its many 
voices were silent ; its thunder-tones had been hushed. 

He hastily re-entered his hut to escape the comments of his 
companions, and discovered, after repeated trials, that the Kiha- 
pu had lost its magic powers, and in his hands was nothing more 
than a simple shell. Not doubting that it had been deprived of 
its virtues through supernatural agencies, Ika visited a renowned 
kilo, or wizard, living near Waialua, taking with him the Kiha-pu, 
which was enclosed in a pouch of kapa, that it might not be ob- 
served. The age of the kilo was a hundred and twenty-four 
years, and he was totally blind, subsisting upon the bounty of 
those who sought his counsel. Finding his hut after some diffi- 
culty, Ika presented him with a roll of kapa which he had 
brought with him from Waolani, and a pig which he had stolen 
in the valley below, and implored him to ascertain, if possible, 
the cause of the disenchantment of the Kiha-pu. Taking the 
trumpet from Ika, the kilo passed his wrinkled hairds over it for 



258 



THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 



some minutes, and then retired with it behind a screen of mats, 
leaving his visitor under the eye of an old crone, who had ad- 
mitted him without a word and seated herself beside the opening. 

It was a long time before the kilo reappeared, and it was then 
to inform Ikathat little could be learned concerning the Kiha-pu. 
He had employed every means known to his art, and finally ap- 
pealed to Uli, the supreme god of sorcery, when the reluctant 
answer came that the Kiha-pu had been silenced by a power 
greater than his. " I dare not inquire further," said the kilo, re- 
turning the trumpet. 

" Will its voices ever return to it ? Will your cowardice allow 
you to answer that question?" inquired Ika, in a sneering tone. 

" Yes," replied the kilo, with an effort restraining his wrath 
and speaking calmly — " yes ; its voices will be heard again in 
Hawaii, among the hills that have sent back their echoes." 

Ika would have questioned the kilo farther, but the old wo- 
man rose and pointed toward the door, and with a look of dis- 
appointment he replaced the shell in its pouch of kapa and sul- 
lenly left the hut. 

Returning to Waolani, Ika abandoned his lofty pretensions 
and mingled again with his companions on terms of comparative 
equality. This restored him to their friendship, and, remember- 
ing the words of the kilo, he prevailed upon a majority of them 
to accompany him to Hawaii. Stealing boats at Waikiki, the 
party set sail for Hawaii, and the fourth day landed at Kawaihae, 
in the district of Kohala. There they abandoned their canoes, 
or exchanged them for food, and in parties of four or five pro- 
ceeded across the island by way of Waimea, and soon after took 
possession of their old quarters in the mountains back of Waipio,. 
after an absence of eight years. 

In all these years what had become of the cocoa-tree planted 
by Kiha, with the coming of the first-fruits of which the magic 
trumpet was to be restored by a being without hands and wear- 
ing neither mantle nor viaro ? For seven years he had watched 
and nurtured its growth, staying it against wind and storm, and 
guarding its every leaf and stem. It was a vigorous and shapely 
tree, and its leaves were above the touch of a battle-spear in the 
hands of the king. But no signs of fruit appeared, and the heart 
of Kiha was troubled with the thought that the tree might be 
barren, and that the gods had mocked him. The seventh year of 



UMI, THE PEASANT PRINCE OF HAWAII. 259 

its growth had come and was going, when one morning he de- 
scried among its branches three young cocoanuts, scarcely less in 
size than his clenched fist. He thought it strange that he had 
not seen them before, and then wondered that he had seen them 
at all, for thsy were closely hidden among the leaves. But there 
they were, to his great joy, and he watched them day by day un- 
til they attained an age and size at which they might be eaten. 
He then sent for the high-priest, and, pointing to the fruit, said : 

" Behold the fruit of the tree planted by the hands of Kiha. 
At the rising of the sun to-morrow I shall eat of it. Will the 
gods fulfil their promise ? " 

"O chief ! " replied the priest, "I do not see the means ; but 
you planted the tree ; the fruit is fit for food ; eat of it to-mor- 
row, if you will. The gods are all-powerful ! " 

At daylight the next morning the fruit was taken from the 
tree, and the king drank the milk of the three cocoanuts, and 
ate of the meat of all, first giving thanks to the gods. He then 
threw himself upon his kapa-moe until the sun was well up in 
the heavens, when he rose and went forth to meet his chief 
adviser, as was his daily custom, and learn from his spies and 
other confidential officers what of importance had transpired 
since the day before. The only information that seemed to 
interest him was that a lawless band of strange men — apparently 
the same who infested the neighborhood some years before — had 
reoccupied the marshy forest in the mountains back of Waipio, 
and would doubtless become a scourge to the planters in the 
upper part of the valley. 

" It was through such a band that I was robbed of the Kiha- 
pu," thought the king. " It may be that the very same have re- 
turned and brought back with them the sacred trumpet. The 
ways of the gods are mysterious." 

Communicating the thought to no one, Kiha despatched a 
discreet messenger to reconnoitre the camp of the marauders, 
and in the afternoon secretly visited the temple of Faakalaui, 
where he learned through the kaulas that the Kiha-pu was some- 
where on the island of Hawaii. 

The sun was sinking in the west when the messenger re- 
turned, with the information that the chief of the demon band 
Avas Ika, who, with many of his followers, had been seen in and 
around Waipio many years before. 



26o THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

These tidings had scarcely reached the ears of the king when 
a tumult was discovered at the main gate of the palace enclosure, 
and a few minutes after an old man, with his arms bound behind 
his back, and followed by a strange-looking dog, was being 
dragged by a crowd of officers and others toward the royal man- 
sion, in front of which Kiha was sitting, surrounded by a number 
of distinguished chiefs and titled retainers. The man was well 
advanced in years, and was clad in a maro and kihei, or short 
mantle of kapa, while from his neck was suspended an ivory 
charm rudely carved into the form of a dog's foot. He was 
above the average height, and around his stooped shoulders hung 
a tangled mass of grizzled hair. His beard was unshorn, and 
from beneath his shaggy brows peered a pair of small and malig- 
nant-looking eyes. 'He glowered savagely at his captors, and 
resented anything that seemed like unnecessary force in urging 
him along. The dog was a large, misshapen brute, with human- 
looking ears and a bluish coat of bristling hair. It had a long, 
swinish tail, and one of its eyes was white and the other green. 
The animal followed closely and sullenly at its master's heels, 
uttering an occasional low growl when too roughly jostled by the 
crowd. 

When within a hundred paces of the mansion the officers 
halted with their prisoner, and an attendant was despatched by 
the king to ascertain the cause of the excitement. Learning that 
the officers were desirous of bringing before him a man suspected 
of pilfering from the royal estates, the king consented to listen 
to the accusation in person, and ordered the prisoner to appear 
in his presence. Approaching, the old man prostrated himself at 
the feet of Kiha, and the dog, giving voice to a dismal howl, 
crouched upon the earth, laid his nose between his paws, and 
bent his green eye upon the king. Kiha regarded both for a 
moment with an amused expression ; but there was something 
demoniac in the appearance of the dog, and after catching a 
glimpse of it he could scarcely remove his gaze from the green 
eye that glared upon him. 

Commanding one of the officers to speak for himself and the 
rest, that the matter might be briefly determined, the king was 
informed that the prisoner was a native of the island of Kauai, 
and some months before had landed with his dog in the district 
cf Kau ; that he was an awa thief and had trained his fiendish- 



VMI, THE PEASANT PRINCE OF HA WAIL 26 1 

looking dog to do his pilfering ; that the animal possessed the 
intelligence of a kahuna and the instincts of a demon, and could 
almost steal the mantle from a man's shoulders without detec- 
tion ; that the prisoner had been driven for his thefts from Kau 
to Kona, and thence to Hamakua ; that he had been living for 
some months past at Kikaha, where his dog, Puapua-lenalena, as 
he was called, had become noted for his thefts ; that awa had 
been missed by the luna of one of the king's estates in the upper 
part of the valley ; that the night before a watch had been placed, 
and the demon dog had been detected in the act of leaving the 
royal plantation with a quantity of awa in his mouth ; that the 
animal had been followed to the hut of his master, who was found 
asleep under the influence of awa, which the dog had doubtless 
ground with his teeth into an intoxicating drink, since on being 
aroused the man denied that he had either stolen or chewed it ; 
and, finally, after some resistance, the prisoner had been brought 
to Waipio, followed by his dog, and was now before the king for 
■examination and sentence. 

After the officer had concluded his account of the misde- 
meanors of the prisoner, by permission of the king the old man 
rose to his feet, and was about to speak in his own defence 
when Kiha, turning his gaze with an effort from the green eye of 
the dog, abruptly inquired : 

" What manner of animal is this, and how came he in your 
possession ? " 

" O king ! " replied the prisoner, " the dog was given to me by 
my uncle, a distinguished kaida of Kauai, and it is believed that 
he was cast up from the sea." 

" Enough ! " exclaimed the king, with a gesture of impatience. 
" Take them both to the temple of Paakalani,'' he continued, ad- 
dressing a chief with a yellow cape and helmet, " and there await 
my coming." 

The prisoner and his green-eyed companion were removed to 
the temple, and in the dusk of the evening Kiha proceeded 
thither alone. Entering the royal retreat with which the heiau 
enclosure was provided, he sent for the high-priest, and soon 
after for the prisoner and his dog. They were conducted to the 
apartment, and the door was closed, a kiikui torch held at an- 
other opening throwing a glare of light into the room. 

The king sat for a few breaths in silence, while the priest was 



262 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

scanning the prisoner and his strange companion. Finally, point- 
ing to the dog, Kiha turned to the priest and said : 

" A wonderful animal— a being without hands, and wearing 
neither mantle nor maro ! " 

"True," returned the priest, recalling the promise of the gods; 
" and should he be the messenger, his services must not be 
slighted." 

"Listen," said the king, addressing the prisoner. " I have 
faith that this animal can do me a service. In a marshy forest in 
the mountains back of Waipio a band of conjuring outlaws have 
lately found a retreat. A magic shell of great power, stolen from 
me many years ago, is now in the possession of some one of 
them — probably of Ika, their chief. Can you prompt this animal 
to recover the Kiha-pu ? " 

" Perhaps," replied the prisoner. 

" Then do so," returned the king, " and I will not only give 
you the life you have forfeited, but will see that you are provided 
henceforth with all the awa you have an appetite to consume." 

With these words of the king the dog rose to his feet, uttered a 
growling sound which seemed to be half-human, and approached 
the door. 

"No instructions are required," said the old man ; " he under- 
stands, and is ready to start upon his errand." 

" Then send him forth at once," returned the king ; " the 
night is dark and will favor him." 

The door was opened, and like a flash the dog sprang from 
the room, leaped the closed gate of the outer wall, and in the 
darkness dashed up the valley toward the mountains. 

"I will await his return here," said the king, looking inquir- 
ingly toward the prisoner. 

" He will be back a little beyond the middle of the night," re- 
plied the old man. 

" With the Kiha-pu ? " inquired the king. 

" Either with or without it," was the answer. 

Leaving the prisoner-in the custody of the high-priest and his 
attendants, Kiha walked out into the starlight. His face was 
feverish, and the kiss of the trade-winds was cool. The /leiau of 
Paakalatii was d^ puhomia, or sacred place of refuge — one of the 
two on the island of Hawaii — and he wondered whether, under 
any circumstances, he could properly demand the life of the pris- 



UMI. THE PEASANT PRI-VCE OF HAWAII. 263 

oner were he to claim the protection of the temple. Had he vol- 
untarily sought refuge in tliepuko/iua, there would have been no 
doubt ; but as he was forcibly taken there by royal order, his 
right to exemption from seizure was a question of doubt. 

Dismissing the subject with the reflection that the life or 
death of the prisoner was of little consequence, Kiha strolled to- 
ward the inner temple and reverently bowed before an image of 
Lo?io near the entrance. Remains of recent sacrifices still smelt 
rank upon the altar, and scores of gods of almost every grade 
and function looked grimly down upon him from the walls. Dim 
lights were seen in some of the quarters of the priests constructed 
against the outer wall of the enclosure, and a torch was burning 
at the main entrance. 

As the evening wore on the silence of the hetau was broken 
only by the hooting of the sacred owls from the walls of the in- 
ner temple, and Kiha threw himself at the foot of a pepper-tree, 
and was soon wafted out into the boundless sea of dreams. 

After leaping the gate of the hetau the dog started up the 
valley with the speed of the wind. As he swept past the thatched 
huts in his course, those who caught sight of him for an instant 
were sure that they beheld a demon, and the dogs that pur- 
sued speedily returned, to crouch whiningly behind their masters. 

Reaching the upper end of the valley, the dog followed an 
ascending trail through a steep ravine coming down from the 
northward, and in a short time, considering the distance traveled, 
stood snuffing the air at the verge of the forest within which the 
outlaws had found a temporary refuge. Distant lights were seen 
flickering through occasional openings among the trees and tan- 
gled undergrowth, and at intervals strange voices, as if of song 
and merriment, were heard. 

For some time the dog remained motionless, and then stealth- 
ily crept into the forest. What form he assumed, how he learned 
of the hiding-place of the Kiha-pu, and through what means \\z 
escaped discovery, are details which tradition has left to conjec- 
ture. It is told only that he succeeded in finding in the unguard- 
ed hut of Ika, seizing in his mouth, and escaping undiscovered 
from the forest with, the sacred trumpet. 

So adroitly had the theft been committed that it seemed that 
the dog would surely escape without detection ; but in plunging 
down the steep ravine through which he had finally ascended to 



264 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIT. 

the forest, he dropped the Kiha-pu, breaking from the rim a piece 
embracing the small pea or tabu mark of silence placed upon it 
by the kaula of Waianae. In an instant the liberated voices of 
the trumpet poured forth in a blast which echoed through the 
hills and started the night-birds to screaming. 

The sound was heard by the reveling demi-demons of the for- 
est, and, ascertaining that the shell had been stolen, they poured 
down the mountain-side in pursuit of the plunderer. Their 
speed was something more than human, and the darkness did 
not seem to impede their steps. From time to time the voice of 
the trumpet came back to them ; but it grew fainter and fainter 
in the distance, until they finally abandoned the chase as hope- 
less, Ika himself suggesting that the Kiha-pu, with its voices in 
some manner restored to it, had taken wings and escaped. 

The king slept under the pepper-tree until past the middle of 
the night, when the hooting of an owl almost at his ear awoke 
him, and he rose and re-entered the royal retreat, where he 
found the high-priest with a number of his attendants, and the 
prisoner intently listening at the half-open door. 

Kiha was about to inquire the time of the night — for he had 
neglected to look at the stars before entering — when a noise was 
heard at the outer gate. The prisoner stepped forward and 
threw back the door, and the next moment the dog sprang into 
the room, laid the Kiha-pu at the feet of the king, and then 
dropped dead beside it. 

The overjoyed king raised and placed the trumpet to his lips, 
and with a swelling heart roused the people of Waipio with a 
blast such as they had not heard for more than eight years. 
Liberating the prisoner, who was grief-stricken at the death of his 
dog, Kiha ordered that he henceforth be fed from the royal table. 

Winding another blast upon the trumpet, the king returned to 
the palace, around which were congregated hundreds of excited 
people. Among them were chiefs in yellow capes and helmets, 
and warriors armed with spear and battle-axe. Summoning his 
alii-koa, or principal military leader, a brief council was held, fol- 
lowed by the sending forth of the plumed aids of the king, and 
the speedy concentration within the palace grounds of a picked 
body of three or four hundred warriors armed with short javelins 
and knives for close encounter. 

The little army moved rapidly but noiselessly up the valley. 



UMI, THE PEASANT PRINCE OF HAWAII. 265 

and at early daylight surrounded and attacked the camp of the 
demon band. A desperate hand-to-hand conflict ensued ; but 
the miscreants were overpowered, and all slain with the excep- 
tion of Ilea and two others, who were reserved alive for the altar. 
On the evening following, in the midst of great rejoicing, the 
Kiha-pu was rededicated to Lojw, and Ilea and his companions 
were slain without the walls and sacrificed, with a host of other 
offerings, in the temple of Paakalani. 

II. 

The reign of Liloa was as peaceful as that of Kiha, his distin- 
guished father. He did not lack ability, either as a civil or mili- 
tary leader, however his pleasant and mirthful ways may have im- 
pressed to the contrary. He was fond of good living, fine ap- 
parel and comely women ; yet he held the sceptre firmly, and 
was prompt to punish wrong-doing in his chiefs or infringement of 
any of his prerogatives. Nevertheless, his heart was kind, and he 
frequently forgave the humble who had crossed his shadow, and 
the thoughtless who had violated the spirit of a royal tabu. 

As he was distracted neither by domestic disturbance nor wars 
with neighboring kings, Liloa made frequent visits to the several 
districts of the island, sometimes with an imposing retinue of 
chiefs and retainers, but quite as often with no more than two or 
three trusty attendants. Sometimes he traveled incognito, visiting 
suspected district chiefs to observe their methods of government^ 
and, when occasion for rebuke occurred, to their great confusion 
making himself known to them. 

Near the close of the year 1460, before the annual festival of 
Lo7io, which inaugurated the beginning of a new year, Liloa went 
with a large and brilliant party, in gaily-decked double canoes 
carrying the royal colors, from Waipio to Koholalele, in Hama- 
kua, to assist in the reconsecration of the old temple of Manini, 
the restoration and enlargement of which had just been completed. 
He took with him his high-priest, Laeanui, a band of musicians 
and dancers, and his chief navigator and astrologer, and the heiau 
was consecrated with unusual display. Laeanui recited the kua- 
wili — the long prayer of consecration — and twenty-four human 
victims were laid upon the altar. 

Ordering the party to return in the double canoes withoui 



266 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

him, Liloa resolved to make the journey overland to Waipio with 
a single attendant ; and it is quite probable that it was something 
more than accident that prompted the royal traveler to deviate 
from the shortest path to Waipio, and tarry for some hours in a 
pleasant grove of palms near Kealakaha, where dwelt wilh her 
old father one of the most beautiful maidens in all Hamakua. 

The name of the girl was Akahia-kuleana. She was tall and 
slender, and her dark hair, which rippled down in wavelets, 
shrouded her bare shoulders like a veil. Her eyes were soft, and 
her voice was like the music of a mountain rivulet, and when her 
bosom was bedecked with leis of fragrant blossoms it seemed that 
they must have grown there, so much did she appear to be a part 
of them. 

Although in humble life, Akahia was really of royal blood, 
since six generations back her paternal ancestor was Kalahua- 
moku, a half-brother to Kalapana, from whom Liloa drew his 
strain. She knew the rank of her royal visitor, and felt honored 
that he should praise her beauty ; and when he kissed her lips at 
parting he left with her his maro and the ivory clasp of his neck- 
lace, at the same time whispering words in her ear which in a 
generation later transferred the sceptre of Hawaii from the di- 
rect line to humbler but worthier hands. 

Before the trade-winds came and went again the gentle 
Akahia, unwedded, became a mother. At first her father frowned 
upon the child ; but it was a strong and healthy boy, who looked 
as if he might some day wield with uncommon vigor a laau-palau 
if not a battle-axe, and he soon became reconciled to the pre- 
sence of the little intruder. In those days, it is proper to men- 
tion, such events occasioned but little comment, and entailed 
upon the mother neither social ostracism nor especial reproach. 

The child was named Umi, and, to give it a stronger pro- 
tector than herself, Akahia became the wife of her cousin Maa- 
kao, a strong, rough man, who had always shown great affection 
for her, and who felt honored in becoming the husband of one 
who might have taken her choice among many. 

The father of Akahia cultivated a kalo patch larger than his 
necessities really required, and was abundantly supplied with 
pigs, poultry, yams, bananas, cocoanuts and breadfruit, which 
he was at all times enabled to exchange for fish, crabs, limpets 
and other products of the sea. 



UMI, THE PEASANT PRINCE OF HAWAII. 267 

All land titles at that time vested either in the sovereign or 
the chiefs subject to him, and the producer was frequently re- 
quired to return to his landlord a full third or half of all his 
labor yielded. Sometimes the land-owner was more liberal with 
his tenants ; but quite as often he took to the extent of his need 
or greed, with no one to challenge the injustice of his demands. 

But the bit of land occupied by the father of Akahia was 
part of a large tract reserved for the benefit of the king, and be- 
cause of the alii blood with which he was credited, but of which 
he made no boast, the rent he returned was merely nominal. 

When Umi was about ten years of age the father of Akahia 
died, leaving his little estate to his daughter. She had two 
brothers living, both older than herself. But the cultivation of the 
soil was not congenial to them, and, as there had been no wars of 
moment in Hawaii for nearly two generations, one of them, who 
had been a dreamer from his youth, had been inducted into the 
service of the gods by the high-priest I^aeanui, to whom Liloa 
had given in perpetuity the possession of Kekaha, in the district 
of Kona, and was otherwise influential ; while the second brother, 
on reaching manhood, had gone with spear and sling to Maui, 
and risen to distinction in the military service of the moi of 
that island. 

So Akahia and her husband continued to occupy unmo- 
lested the old plantation. But the agents who collected the 
revenues of the king were less liberal with Maakao than they had 
been with the father of his wife, and he was compelled to make 
the same rent returns as other royal tenants. Nor this alone. 
A portion of their land had been given to another, embracing a 
little grove of hawane or cocoa-trees, some of which, it was 
averred, had been planted by the stewards of Pili nearly four 
centuries before, and their depleted stocks of pigs and fowls 
ceased to be the envy of their neighbors. 

This harsh dealing with Akahia and her husband, it is need- 
less to say, was done without the knowledge of the king; but 
they feared to complain, lest they might be despoiled of the little 
left them, and deemed it prudent to suffer in silence ratber than 
arouse the wrath of an agent of whose powers they knew not the 
extent. 

There were other little mouths to feed besides Umi's, and, as 
the years came and went with their scant harvests, Maakao be- 



268 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

came more and more discontented; but, with a hope in her heart 
of which Maakao knew nothing, Akahia toiled on without com- 
plaint. Year by year she saw Umi developing into manhood, 
and noted that in thought, habit and bearing he was different 
from others. 

Umi loved his mother and was not unkind to Maakao; but he 
spent much of his time by the sea-shore where the great waves 
thundered against the cliifs, and in the hills where, among the 
ohia and sandal trees, the trade-winds whispered to him of the 
unknown. He would climb to the crown of the tallest cocoa- 
tree because there was danger in it, and buffet the fiercest waves 
in his frail canoe; but neither threat nor persuasion could ever 
induce him to delve in the slime of the kalo patch or plant a row 
of yams. He would bring fish from the sea and fruits from the 
mountains, but could not be prevailed upon to till the soil. He 
fashioned spears of* cunning workmanship, and from the teeth of 
sharks made knives of double edge, but to the implements of 
husbandry he gave but little note. 

At the age of sixteen Umi had reached almost the propor- 
tions of a man. His limbs were strong, his features manly and 
handsome, his eyes clear and full of expression, and in athletic 
sports and the use of arms he had no equal among his compan- 
ions. His habits brought around him but few friends, yet his 
kindness to all left no pretext for enmity ; and while some said 
he absented himself from home in a spirit of idleness, others 
shook their heads and ventured the opinion that he visited the 
recesses of the wooded hills alone to converse with the kini-akua 
and learn wisdom from the gods. And his strange conduct, it 
may well be imagined, was made the subject of frequent discus- 
sion in the neighborhood, for Maakao complained continually of 
his idleness, and but for the intercessions of the mother, who 
alone was able to account for his peculiarities, would have closed 
his doors against him. 

But Umi had a few friends to extol his goodness and defend 
him against unkind insinuation, and among them were Piimaiwaa 
and Omaukamau, youths of about his own age, and Kulamea, 
the younger and only sister of the latter. From childhood these 
friends had been his frequent companions, and as he grew to 
manhood, strong-limbed, resolute and gentle, they learned to re- 
gard him with a love prepared for any sacrifice. 



UMI, THE PEASANT PRINCE OF HAWAII. 269 

Kulamea was a bright-eyed, dusky little fairy, who often ac- 
companied Umi and her brother in their rambles. They petted 
her until she became an exacting little tyrant, and then Umi, at 
her command, made toys for her, climbed the tallest cocoa-trees, 
and scaled the steepest cHffs in search of flowers and berries that 
she liked ; and, in return for these kindnesses, what, at the age of 
fifteen, could Kulamea do but love almost to idolatry the brave 
and gentle companion who had developed into a splendid man- 
hood ? And what could Umi do at twenty but return in kind 
the devotion of one now ripening into a charming womanhood, 
whose childish friendship was the brightest sunshine that had 
ever flecked the landscape of his dreamy life ? 

With a feeling of uneasiness Akahia watched Umi's growing 
love for Kulamea^ and when at twenty he would have married 
her, much to the gratification of Maakao, she kindly but firmly 
said to her son : " Be not in haste to fetter your free limbs. Be 
patient, as I have been for twenty years. Kulamea is worthy — 
but wait." 

'■' Why wait ? " exclaimed Maakao, suddenly appearing. He 
had been listening without the door. " Why should he wait?" 
he continued ; " he has all his life been idle, and it is time that 
he should have a house of his own." 

" You have spoken well ! " replied Umi, drawing himself up 
to his full height, and looking scornfully down upon the husband 
of his mother — " you have spoken well, Maakao ! It is time, in- 
deed, that I stopped this dreaming ! I will never eat food again 
under your roof. Now get you to your kalo patch ; you will find 
occupation there befitting you ! I will seek other means of liv- 
ing ! " 

With these scornful words Umi strode haughtily from the 
house. Enraged at the insult, Maakao seized a laau-palau, or 
large kalo-\xi\it, and sprang after him. Umi turned and reached 
for his pahoa. Maakao raised his weapon to strike, but it drop- 
ped to the earth as if a paralysis had seized his arm as Akahia 
sprang before him, exclaiming : " Do not dare to strike ! He is 
not your son; he is your chief! Down on your knees before him!" 

To the dismay of Maakao and profound astonishment of 
Umi, Akahia then revealed the secret of Umi's birth, and, taking 
from their hiding-place the keepsakes left with her by Liloa, 
said, as she handed them to her son : 



270 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

" Your father is king of Hawaii. Go to him in person and 
place these mementoes before him. Tell him Akahia-kuleana 
returns them to him by the hands of his and her son, who is 
worthy of him, and he will own you to be the child of his love. 
He is noble and will hold sacred his royal pledge. This should 
have been done long ago, but I could not bring my heart to part 
with you. Go, and may the gods be your protection and your 
guide ! " 

The strange revelation was soon known throughout the neigh- 
borhood, and Umi prepared for his journey to Waipio. How 
should he appear before Liloa, whose will was law and whose 
frown was death ? In what guise should he seek the presence of 
his royal father ? 

" As an alii-kapu ! " answered Akahia, proudly. Then from 
an tpu she brought forth a plumed helmet and cape of the feath- 
ers of the 00, which she had secretly fabricated with her own 
hands, and placed them upon the head and shoulders of her 
son. 

To Kulamea alone was the news of what had befallen Umi 
unwelcome. She would have been more than content to share 
with him the common lot ; but now that he was about to be rec- 
ognized as the son of the great Liloa, she felt that they were 
soon to part for ever. Other alliances would be found for him, 
and he would forget the humble playmate of his youth, wh6 
loved him, not because his father was a king, but because they 
had grown up together and neither of them could help it. So 
when, two days after, Umi started overland for Waipio, accom- 
panied by his two trusty friends, Piimaiwaa and Omaukamau, 
Kulamea secreted herself to avoid the agony of a parting farewell 
from Umi ; but he found her, nevertheless, and made her happy 
by kissing and telling her that, whatever might be his future, she 
should share it ; and she believed him, for he had never de- 
ceived her. 

Umi and his companions arrived in Waipio valley at nightfall. 
There they remained during the night, and the next morning 
crossed the little stream of Wailoa, near which was the royal man- 
sion. There Umi left his companions and proceeded alone to 
the palace enclosure. His head was adorned with a helmet sur- 
mounted with white and scarlet plumes, and from his broad 
shoulders hung a cape of yellow feathers, such as an ah'i alone was 



UMI, THE PEASANT PRINCE OF HAWAII. 27I 

permitted to wear, while around his loins was fastened the maro 
left with Akahia by the king, and the ivory clasp ornamented a 
necklace of rare and beautiful shells. In his hand he bore an 
the, or javelin, of unusual weight and exquisite finish, and many 
eyes followed him as he approached the palace ; for, although 
a stranger, it was manifest from his dress and bearing that he 
did not belong to the makaainana, or common people. 

His mother had instructed him to seek the presence of the 
king in the most direct manner that occasion presented, and 
without asking the permission or assistance of any one, fearing, 
no doubt, that, to gain admission to the royal hale, he might 
exhibit and in some manner lose possession of the sole evidences 
of his paternity, and thus receive the punishment of an impostor. 
He therefore passed by, without seeking to enter, the gate of the 
enclosure, around which were lounging a score or more of sen- 
tinels and retainers, and, proceeding to the rear of the mansion, 
leaped over the high wall immediately back and within a hun- 
dred paces of the private apartments of the king. 

Having thus violated a rule of royal etiquette, the penalty of 
which was death, unless mitigated by satisfactory explanation, 
Umi grasped his ihe firmly, determined, should he be opposed, to 
fight his way to the royal presence. It was a desperate resolu- 
tion, but he had faith in himself, and was without fear. 

His movements had been watched as he passed the gate of 
the enclosure without a word, and as he sprang over the wall 
he found a number of uplifted spears between him and the en- 
trances to the mansion. Nerving himself for the worst, he strode 
past the interposing weapons, strongly hurling their points aside 
when too closely presented, and in a moment stood at the back 
entrance of the palace, through which no one but of the royal 
household was permitted to enter. 

This audacity saved him from more determined opposition, 
smce It seemed incredible that any one not possessing the con- 
fidence of the king would take such double hazard of his life. 
Stepping within the entrance, Umi turned, and, with a half- 
amused smile at the baffled guard now clamoring around the 
door, struck the handle of his javelin firmly into the ground, 
and walked unarmed into the presence of the king. 

As Umi entered unannounced, the king had just finished his 
morning repast, and was lounging on a couch of many folds of 



272 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

kapa, unattended except by his spittoon-bearer and two half- 
grown boys with kahilis. 

Astounded at the intrusion, the king rose to a sitting pos- 
ture, and, with a frown upon his face, was about to speak, when 
Umi stepped to the couch and boldly seated himself in the lap 
of Liloa. 

Although past sixty, the king still retained a goodly share of 
his earlier vigor, and, throwing Umi from his knees, angrily ex- 
claimed : 

" Audacious slave ! how dare you ! " 

Umi rose to his feet, and, standing proudly before the king 
with folded arms, replied : 

" The son of Liloa dare do anything ! " 

For a moment the king did not speak. He looked into the 
face of the undaunted young stranger, and noted that it was 
noble ; and then his thoughts went back to Kealakaha, and to 
the fair young girl of better than common blood whom he had 
met there many years before while journeying to Waipio after 
consecrating the temple of Matwii, and finally, almost as in a 
dream, to the pledge he had given and the tokens he had left 
with her. When all this came back to him he cast his eyes over 
the comely youth, and beheld his maro around the loins of Umi, 
and the ivory clasp of his necklace upon his breast. He could 
scarcely doubt, yet, as if he had recollected nothing, seen no- 
thing, he calmly but kindly said : 

"Young man, you claim to be my son. If so, tell me of your 
mother, and of the errand that brings you here." 

Umi bowed and answered : " My mother, O king, is Akahia- 
kuleana, of Kealakaha, and my years were twenty at the last 
ripening of the ohias. For the first time, four days ago, she told 
me I was the son of the king of Hawaii, and to take to him this 
maro and this ivory clasp, and he would not disown me. You 
are Liloa, the honored sovereign of Hawaii. I am Umi, the 
humble son of Akahia-kuleana. From the hands of my mother 
I have brought to you this 7naro and this ornament of bone. If 
I am your son, seat me beside you on the kapa ; if not, order 
my body to the heiau as a sacrifice to the gods." 

There was a struggle in the breast of the king, and his eyes 
were bent upon the bold youth with an expression of pride and 
tenderness as he said : 



UMI, THE PEASANT PRINCE OF HAWAII. 273 

" How did you gain admission here alone and unan- 
nounced ?" 

" By leaping over the wall of \h.t pahale and beating down the 
spears of your guards," replied Umi modestly. 

" It was a dangerous undertaking," suggested the king, feign- 
ing a frown which wrinkled into a smile upon his lips ; " had you 
no fear ? " 

"I am still young and have not yet learned to fear," returned 
Umi, with an air of self-reproach. 

" Such words could come alone from a heart ennobled by the 
blood of Pilikaeae ! You are indeed the son of Liloa ! " ex- 
claimed the king, with emotion, stretching forth his hand and 
seating Umi beside him. " Not these tokens alone but your face 
and bearing show it." And he put his arms around the neck of 
his son and kissed him, and ordered a repast, which they ate to- 
gether, while Umi related to his royal father the simple events of 
his humble life. 

As the strange entrance of Umi into the royal mansion had 
attracted much attention, many of the privileged retainers and 
officers of the court soon gathered in and around the palace ; 
and the rank and possible purposes of the visitor were under- 
going an earnest discussion — especially after it was learned that 
he was breakfasting with the king — when Hakau, the only recog- 
nized son of Liloa and heir-presumptive to the throne, suddenly 
appeared and sought the presence of his royal father. 

There was a dark scowl on the face of Hakau on entering the 
room and observing a stranger in close conversation with the 
king and eating from the same vessels, nor did it disappear when 
Liloa presented Umi to him as his own son and Hakau's half- 
brother. Umi rose and frankly offered his brother the hand of 
friendship and affection ; but the grasp and recognition of Hakau 
were cold, and when he was invited to sit down and partake of 
meat with his newly-found brother he excused himself with the 
falsehood that he had just risen from his morning meal. After 
a few words with the king, during which he closely scrutinized 
Umi's handsome face and manly form, Hakau withdrew, leaving 
no token in word or look of any feeling of joy at the meeting. 

Although the kings of the Hawaiian group at that time usually 
had from two to six wives — either marriages of the heart or alli- 
ances with the families of neighboring kings to strengthen their 



2 74 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIT. 

dynasties — tradition has given to Liloa but one recognized wife. 
She was Pinea, a Maui chiefess of family distinction, who gave to 
Liloa a son and one daughter — Hakau and Kapukini. Hakau 
had reached his thirtieth year and had married the daughter of 
the chief and high-priest Pae. They had one child, a daughter, 
who had been given the name of her grandmother, Pinea. Kapu- 
kini had not quite reached womanhood, and was the idol of the 
court. 

Hakau was a large, well-visaged man, but was haughty, selfish 
and cruel. Having been, until the sudden appearance of Umi at 
the court, the only recognized son of Liloa, his caprices had been 
humored until his heartlessness and tyranny had become almost 
a by-word in Hamakua. But the truth seems to be that he was 
naturally vicious and barbarous, and tradition speaks of no 
greater tyrant among all the rulers of Hawaii. Heedless of the 
rights of property, without return he took from others whatever 
he coveted, and in an insanity of pride and criminal envy caused 
to be secretly slain or disfigured such as were reputed to surpass 
him in personal beauty. Without giving note or credence to the 
many tales of barbarism with which tradition has connected his 
name, it is doubtless true that his cruelty and contempt for the 
rights of his subjects rendered him an unfit successor of the 
gentle and sagacious Liloa, under whose reign the humblest were 
protected, and peace and prosperity prevailed throughout the six 
districts of the island. 

No further explanation of Hakau's freezing reception of Umi 
is required. He was envious of his handsome face and noble 
bearing, and hated him because of the love with which his father 
manifestly regarded him. But Hakau's feelings in the matter 
were not consulted, and the day following Umi was conducted to 
the temple of Paakalani in great pomp, where, to the solemn music 
of chant and sacred drum, the officiating priest with the newly- 
found son of the king went through the form of oki-ka-piko — a cere- 
mony attending the birth of the children of royalty — and Umi was 
formally and publicly recognized as his son by the king of Hawaii. 

Hakau was compelled, with great bitterness of heart, to wit- 
ness this ceremony, but was too discreet to openly manifest his 
displeasure. Returning to the palace, Umi was formally presented 
to the royal household, and heralds proclaimed his rank and inves- 
titure of the tabus to which he was entitled. 



UMI, THE PEASANT PRINCE OF HAWAII. 275 

Although the mother of Hakau, Pinea received him kindly, 
and Kapukini was more than delighted with her new and hand- 
some brother. She clung to his hand, and artlessly declared that 
Hakau was cross with her and that she had prayed to the gods to 
send her another brother, just such a one as Umi, and they had 
done so. 

Soon after a great feast was given by the king in honor of the 
new heir, and all the leading chiefs in the kingdom were invited 
to come and pay their respects to him. Twelve hundred chiefs 
were present, and the feasting and rejoicing continued for three 
days, interspersed with games and athletic sports, in which Umi 
shone with great splendor. In feats of strength and the skilful 
handling of arms he had few equals in all that great and dis- 
tinguished gathering, and in conversations with the old he exhib- 
ited so much wisdom and prudence of speech that they wondered 
who had been his tutors ; and when they learned that he had been 
taught by no one and that the greater part of his young life had 
been passed in solitude, some of them thought the gods must have 
instructed him, and all admitted that he was a worthy son of 
Liloa and an honor to the royal line. 

Umi was thus firmly established at the court of his royal 
father, and adequate revenues were set apart for his proper main- 
tenance and that of a retinue befitting his high rank. His friends 
Piimaiwaa and Omaukamau, who were overjoyed at his good for- 
tune, entered his service as his personal and confidential friends, 
and thenceforth became identified with his career, always appear- 
ing as the most faithful and self-sacrificing of his adherents. 

In a week after his arrival at Waipio, Umi sent Omaukamau 
back to their old home with news of his recognition by the king. 
He also bore an order enlarging the area of Maakao and Akahia's 
possessions, and relieving them from rent and all other tenant 
charges. Nor did he forget Kulamea. He sent her a little pres- 
ent in token of his love, and word that, although it could not safely 
be so then, some day in the future she should be nearer to him, 
even though he might become the king of Hawaii. The token 
was dear to her, and dearer still his words, for she knew the heart 
of Umi and did not doubt ; and thenceforth she lived and pa- 
tiently waited for him, keeping her own secret, and firmly saying 
"no " to the many who sought her in marriage. 

Umi's affability and intelligence soon made him a great favor- 



276 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

ite at the court and steadily endeared him to his father. But in 
proportion as he grew in the favor of others Hakau's hatred for 
him increased, and but for the fear of his father would have mani- 
fested itself in open hostility ; but Liloa, who was growing old and 
feeble through a cureless malady, had not yet designated his 
successor, and Hakau deemed it prudent to make no outward 
showing of the intense envy and dislike of his brother which he 
was secretly nursing, and which he resolved should be gratified 
when the reins of government passed into his hands. 

In a little less than two years after the recognition of Umi 
the black kapa covered Liloa. When he felt the end approach- 
ing he called his two sons before him, and publicly gave the 
charge of the government and title of moi to Hakau, and the 
custody of the gods and temples to Umi. " You are to be the 
ruler of Hawaii," he said to Hakau, "and Umi is to be your 
counselor." 

There was grief all over the kingdom when the death of Liloa 
became known, for he was greatly beloved ; and, that his bones 
might never be desecrated, the high-priest Pae, whose daughter 
Hakau had married, secretly conveyed them to the Kona coast, 
and consigned them to the deep waters off Kekaha. 

This was in accordance with the custom of the time — in fact, 
with the custom of earlier and later years, for the resting-place 
of the bones of Kamehameha L, who died in 18 19, is unknown. 
A story survives that the remains of this eminent chief were en- 
tombed in the sea, but the more popular belief is that they were 
secretly conveyed to a cave or other place prepared for them in 
the hills back of Kailua, on the island of Hawaii, and there hid- 
den for ever from mortal gaze. In connection with this belief it 
is stated that just before daylight on the morning following the 
night of the death of Kamehameha, one of his nearest friends, 
while the guard had been removed to afford the opportunity, 
took the bones of his beloved chief upon his shoulders, and, 
alone and unseen, conveyed them to their secret sepulchre. Re- 
turning, he encountered two natives who were preparing for the 
labors of the day. Fearing that he had been followed, he in- 
quired whether they had observed any one passing toward the 
hills that morning. They declared that they had seen no one. 
Had they answered differently he would have slain them both on 
the spot, that their secret might have died with them. 



VMI, THE PEASANT PRINCE OF HAWAII. 277 

The name of this chief was Hoolulu. He h-^:, been dead for 
many years ; and although he left children, to one of whom the 
secret may have been imparted, in accordance with native cus- 
tom in such matters, it is now believed that all knowledge of the 
depository of the remains of the first Kamehameha is lost. In 
1853, when the necessity of hiding the bones of distinguished 
chiefs was no longer recognized, Kamehameha III. visited Kai- 
lua and almost prevailed upon Hoolulu to point out the spot. 
They even started toward the hills for that purpose, but, as quite 
a number of persons were observed to be following, Hoolulu de- 
clined to proceed, and could never after be induced to divulge 
anything. 

So fearful were the ancient chiefs of Hawaii that some indig- 
nity might be offered to their remains after death — for instance, 
that charmed iish-hooks or arrow-points for shooting mice might 
be made from their bones — that they were invariably hidden by 
their surviving friends, sometimes in the depths of the ocean, 
and quite as frequently, perhaps, in the dark recesses of volcanic 
caverns, with which the islands abound. 

Immediately after Kamehameha I. had breathed his last his 
friend Kalaimoku assembled the principal chiefs around the 
body to consider what should be done with it. In his great ad- 
miration for the dead chief one of them solemnly said : " This is 
my thought : we will eat him raw ! " But the body was left to Li- 
holiho, son and successor of the dead king who, with his queen, 
Kamamalu, died while on a visit to England in 1824. 

The bones of no Hawaiian chief were ever more securely hid- 
den than v/ere those of the distinguished alii-tiui Kualii, who ruled 
with a strong arm the turbulent factions of the island of Oahu 
some two centuries back. After the flesh had been stripped from 
the bones they were given in charge of a trusty friend to be se- 
creted, and most effectually did he accomplish the delicate task 
assigned him. He had them pulverized to a fine powder, which 
he mixed with the poi to be served at the funeral feast to be 
given to the principal chiefs the day following. At the close of 
the repast, when asked if he had secreted the bones of the dead 
chief to his satisfaction, he grimly replied : " Hidden, indeed, are 
the bones of Kualii ! They have been deposited in a hundred 
living sepulchres. You have eaten them! " 

But we are wandering somewhat from our story. The day 



278 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

after the death of Liloa, Hakau was ceremoniously invested with 
supreme authority, while the high-priest Laeanui gave formal 
recognition to Umi as guardian of the gods and temples. Both 
events were celebrated with display and sacrifice ; but it is said 
that the scream of the alae, a sacred bird of evil omen, was heard 
around the palace all through the night that Hakau first slept 
there as king, and that as Umi entered the temple of Paakalani 
to assume the guardianship of the gods the head of the great 
image of L0710, near the door of the inner temple, nodded approv- 
ingly. 

Independently of Umi's position as prime minister or royal 
adviser, his authority as guardian of the gods and temples was 
second only to that of the king, and Hakau chafed under a be- 
quest that had clothed his brother with a power little less than 
his own and placed him so near the throne. The consequence 
was that he seldom invited him to his councils, and secretly 
sought to cast discredit upon his acts as the nominal head of the 
priesthood. But Umi bore himself so nobly that Hakau's venom 
brought no poison to him, and the petty persecutions to which 
he was subjected not only failed to injure him, but actually 
added to his popularity with those who had felt the barbarity of 
his brother, whose first acts on coming to power were to dismiss, 
disrate and impoverish many of the old and faithful servants and 
counselors of his father, and surround himself with a party of 
unscrupulous retainers as cruel and treacherous as himself. 

Enraged that his secret aud cowardly slanders of Umi failed 
to bring him into disrespect, Hakau's hostility began to assume a 
more open and brutal form. He publicly reviled his brother for 
his low birth, and assumed not only that Liloa was not his father, 
but that his mother was a woman without any distinction of 
blood. 

Unable to bear these taunts, and not deeming it prudent 
to precipitate an open rupture with his brother, Umi quietly 
left Waipio with his two friends Piimaiwaa and Omaukamau, 
and, traveling through Hamakua without stopping at Kealakaha, 
where dwelt his mother and Kulamea, proceeded at once to Wai- 
punalei, near Laupahoehoe, in the district of Hilo, where he con- 
cluded to remain for a time and await the development of events. 

To support tliemselves Umi and his two friends devoted a 
portion of their time to fishing, bird-catching and the making of 



UMI, THE PEASANT PRINCE OF HAWAII. 279 

canoes, spears and other weapons ; and although the rank of Umi 
was studiously concealed, his intelligence, skilful use of arms 
and general bearing could not fail to attract attention and excite 
the curiosity of his humble associates. Not unfrequently stran- 
gers would prostrate themselves before him, so profoundly were 
they impressed with his appearance, but he declined to accept 
their homage and smilingly assured them that he was born and 
reared, like themselves, in humble life. As a further precaution 
against recognition, he carefully avoided the prominent chiefs of 
the district, deeming it probable that some of them had seen him 
in Waipio, or even witnessed the ceremonies attending his ac- 
ceptance as the son of Liloa. 

III. 

It was not destined that Umi should remain long unknown 
among the hills of Hilo. His sudden disappearance and contin- 
ued absence from the court had excited apprehensions of foul 
dealing, and Hakau himself, who had thus far failed in his efforts 
to discover the retreat of Umi, began to fear that he was some- 
where secretly planning a deep scheme of retaliation. But Umi 
had as yet marked out for himself no definite plan of action. He 
smarted under the persecutions of Hakau, and did not doubt 
that, sooner or later, he would triumph over them and be re- 
stored to the rights and privileges bequeathed to him by his royal 
father ; but exactly when and how all this was to be accom- 
plished were problems which he expected the future to assist 
him' in solving. 

And he was not disappointed. The future for which he had 
patiently waited was near at hand, and he was about to become 
the central figure of a struggle which would test to their utmost 
his courage and ability. One day, while strolling alone in the 
hills back of Waipunalei, there suddenly appeared before him a 
man of stupendous proportions. Umi regarded the object for a 
moment with amazement, and was about to speak when the 
monster dropped on his knees before him. In that position he 
was a head and shoulders above Umi, and the spear in his hand 
was of the measure in length of ten full steps. Although more 
than eleven feet in height, he was well proportioned, and the ex- 
pression of his face was intelligent and gentle. He was young 



28o THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

in years, yet his hair fell to his shoulders and was streaked with 
gray. 

''Who are you, and why do you kneel to me?" said Umi, 
looking up into the face of the giant with a feeling of awe. " If 
I had your limbs I would kneel alone to the gods." 

" I am Maukaleoleo, of Kona, and the most unfortunate of 
men," replied the monster in a ponderous but not unpleasant 
tone. " My mother was Nuuheli ; but she is now dead, and, 
having grown to. the height of the trees, I live in the moun- 
tains among them, for men seem to fear and hate me, and women 
and children scream with fright at my approach." 

" And who was your father ? " inquired Umi, kindly. 
■ " As he died when I was young," returned the giant, " and 
that was more than thirty years ago, I know not, except that his 
name was Mano, and that he claimed lineage from Kahaukapu, 
the grandfather of the great Liloa, whose unworthy son now rules 
in Hawaii." 

■' Hist ! " exclaimed Umi, reaching up and placing his hand 
gently upon the shoulder of the monster. " There is death in 
such words, even to a man of Maukaleoleo's girth. The trees 
are listeners as well as myself." 

" The trees will say nothing," was the reply, " for they often 
hear such words of Hakau. But why should I fear death ? I 
was not born to be slain for speaking the truth. Listen, and 
then tell me why Maukaleoleo should fear anything that is hu- 
man. When a boy a stranger met me one day on the cliffs 
overlooking the sea, where I was searching for the feathers of 
the 00. He was mighty in stature, and in fear I fell upon the 
ground and hid my face. He called me by name, and I looked 
up and saw that he held in his hand a small fish of the color of 
the skies at sunset. Handing the fish to me, he said : ' Eat this, 
and to see your face all men will look toward the stars.' I knew 
he was a god — Kanaloa, perhaps — and I feared to refuse. So I 
took the fish and ate it, and the stranger stepped over the cliffs 
with a smile on his face and disappeared. The fish was pleasant 
to the taste, and I could have eaten more. A strange sense of 
increasing strength seized me, and on my way home I lifted large 
rocks and felt that I could uproot trees. I said nothing to my 
mother of what had happened, but the next morning she looked 
at me Avith fright and wonder, for during the night I had grown 



UMI, THE PEASANT PRINCE OF HAWAII. 28 1 

an arm's length in height. Except upon my hands and knees I 
could no longer enter the door of the house where I was born, 
and everything with which I was familiar had a dwarfed and 
unnatural look. I was ashamed to meet my old associates, and 
only ventured from the house when it w^as too dark for me to 
be plainly seen. Larger and larger I grew, until at the age of 
fifteen I reached my present proportions, when my mother died, 
and I made my home in the mountains, where I have since spent 
the most of my time. What should one so treated by the gods 
fear from man?" And Maukaleoleo rose to his feet, towering 
like a cocoa-tree above his companion. 

" A strange story, indeed ! But if the trees, which are speech- 
less, do not betray you, why should not I ?" said Umi, curious to 
learn something farther of the strange being in whose veins pos- 
sibly coursed the blood of kings. 

" Because," answered the giant, slowly, " you are Umi, the 
son of Liloa, and Hakau is your enemy ! " 

Umi listened to these words in amazement, and then frankly 
said : 

" You are right. I am Umi, the son of Liloa, and Hakau is 
not my friend. And now that you know so much, you cannot 
but also know that it is prudent for me to remain at present un- 
known. Let me ask in return that you will not betray me." 

" I know all, and you may fear nothing," said Maukaleoleo. 
" Before the moon grows large again I shall be with you, spear in 
hand, on your way to Waipio. Meantime you may lose sight 
of me, but I shall be near you when my arm is needed. You 
have powerful friends. Be^guided by them, and all will be well." 

Umi held up his hand, and Maukaleoleo folded it in his 
mighty palm as he dropped upon his knees and exclaimed : 

" Umi, son of Liloa ! here in the hills, among the listening 
leaves, let Maukaleoleo be the first to hail you moi of Hawaii ! " 

Before Umi could rebuke the untimely utterance Maukaleo- 
leo rose to his feet and with a low bow disappeared among the 
trees. 

With whatever feeling of fear the makaainana, or laboring 
classes, of Waipunalei may have regarded Maukaleoleo, as he oc- 
casionally appeared among them like a moving tower, he was 
not without friends. He was well known to the priests and 
Mulas of the district, who believed that his huge proportions 



282 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

were due to the special act of some god, and was always a wel- 
come visitor at the home of Kaoleioku, a high-priest of great 
influence both in Hilo and Hamakua. It is therefore probable 
that this meeting with Umi was not entirely accidental, for the 
day following Kaoleioku despatched a messenger to Umi, who 
was found not without some difficulty, inviting him to a confer- 
ence in a secluded spot near the head of a neighboring valley. 

The object of the meeting was not stated, and Umi's first 
thought was that the emissaries of his brother were seeking to 
lure him to his death ; but no danger ever appalled him, and, 
seizing his javelin and thrusting z.pahoa into his girdle, he fol- 
lowed the messenger. 

A brisk walk of an hour brought them to a small grass hut 
partially hidden among the trees and undergrowth of an almost 
dry ravine abruptly jutting into the valley. At that point the 
valley was too narrow to admit of cultivation, although a broken 
stone wall across the mouth of the ravine showed that at one 
time three or four uneven acres behind it had been tilled. The 
grass grew rank within the enclosure, and, in addition to several 
varieties of forest trees that had taken root' since the ground had 
last been disturbed, a half-dozen or more cocoa-trees lifted their 
heads above the surrounding foliage, and the broad leaves of as 
many banana-stalks swayed lazily in the wind. 

It was a lonesome-looking spot, and no sign of life in or 
around the hut was visible as the messenger stopped at a gap in 
the crumbling wall and awaited the approach of Umi. The chirp 
of the crickets in the grass seemed to be a note of warning, and 
the whistle of a solitary bird hidden among the leaves sounded 
like a scream to Umi in that deserted and otherwise silent nook ; 
but he grasped his ihe firmly and beckoned the messenger to pro- 
ceed. As he stepped over the broken wall he caught a glimpse 
of the ponderous form of Maukaleoleo through the branches of 
a sandal-tree on the side of the hill overlooking the hut. Under 
the eye of that mighty and friendly sentinel Umi dismissed all 
thought of treachery or danger. 

Reaching the door of the hut, he was met by the high-priest 
Kaoleioku, who promptly extended his hand and invited him to 
enter, while the messenger withdrew from the enclosure and took 
a position where he commanded a view of the valley above and 
below the mouth of the ravine. 



UMI, THE PEASANT PRINCE OF HAWAII. 283 

There was no furniture in the hut beyond two or three rick- 
ety shelves, and on one side a raised platform of earth, which, 
with a kapa covering, might have been used either as a bed or 
seat. On entering the priest requested Umi to be seated, and 
then bowed low and said : 

" I cannot doubt that I am standing before Umi, son of Liloa, 
and guardian of our sacred temples and our fathers' gods." To 
these words the priest silently awaited an answer. 

Um; did not reply at once ; but after giving the face of the 
priest a searching glance, and recalling his meeting with Mauka- 
leoleo the day before, and the vision through the branches of the 
sandal-tree, he frankly answered : 

" I cannot deny it." 

" No ; you cannot, indeed ! " returned the priest, fervently ; 
" for so have the clouds told me, and so has it been whispered 
in my dreams. Word has come to me from Waipio that Hakau 
knows you are in Waipunalei, and his emissaries are already here 
with orders to assassinate you." 

" Then further disguise would be useless, further delay cow- 
ardly ! " exclaimed Umi, rising from his seat and grasping his 
ihe. " His cruelty forces me at last to strike ! The time for 
action has come, and, spear in hand, as befits a son of Liloa, I 
will face the royal murderer in Waipio, and the black kapa shall 
be his or mine ! " 

" Spoken like a king and a son of a king ! " returned the 
priest with enthusiasm, grasping Umi by the hand. " But you 
will not go alone. Come to me with your friends to-morrow — if 
possible to-night. Under my roof you will be safe, and there 
we will gather the spears that will make your journey to Waipio 
a triumphal march." 

"Thanks are the only payment I can now make to your 
friendship," said Umi, in turn pressing the hand of the priest. 
" You may expect me and a few of my friends before another 
rising of the sun." 

With a few hasty words of explanation Umi left the hut 
with his heart on fire, and the priest watched him with a 
smile until he passed the broken wall. There he was re- 
joined by the messenger, who silently preceded him down the 
valley. 

As he started to return Umi looked toward the sandal- 



254 ^-^^ LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAII. 

tree above the hut. Maukaleoleo was no longer there, but he 
frequently discerned a mighty form moving down the valley 
along the wooded hillside, and knew that his great friend was 
not far away. 

The northeastern coast of the island of Hawaii presents 
an almost continuous succession of valleys, with intervening 
uplands rising gently for a few miles, and then more ab- 
ruptly toward the snows of Mauna Kea and the clouds. The 
rains are abundant on that side of the island, and the fertile 
plateau, boldly fronting the sea with a line of cliffs from iifty 
to a hundred feet iu height, is scored at intervals of one or 
two miles with deep and almost impassable gulches, whose 
waters reach the ocean either through rocky channels worn 
to the level of the waves, or in cascades leaping from the 
cliffs and streaking the coast from Hilo to Waipio with lines 
which seem to be of molten silver from the great crucible 
of Kilauea. 

In the time of Liloa, and later, this plateau was thickly 
populated, and, requiring no irrigation, was cultivated from 
the sea upward to the line of frost. A few kalo patches 
are still seen, and bananas grow, as of old, in secluded 
spots and along the banks of the ravines ; but the broad 
acres are green with cane, and the whistle of the sugar-mill 
is heard above the roar of the surf that beats against the 
rock-bound front of Hamakua. 

In the first of these valleys south of Waipunalei was the 
estate of the high-priest Kaoleioku, which was thickly dot- 
ted with the huts of his tenants, and embraced some of 
the finest banana, cocoa and breadfruit groves in the dis- 
trict. For the accommodation of himself and family were 
two large mansions, constructed of heavy timbers and sur- 
rounded by a substantial stone wall. The priest was learned 
and hospitable, and his influence was second in the district 
only to that of the alii-okane. 

Anticipating the arrival of Umi and his friends during 
the night, the priest had placed a watchman at the gate on 
retiring, with instructions to wake him should any one un- 
known to the sentinel apply for admission before morning. 
But Kaoleioku could not sleep, for his mind was filled with 
the shadows of coming events. He had discovered a son of 



UMI, THE PEASANT PRINCE OF HAWAII. 285 

Liloa, the rightful guardian of the temples and his gods, se- 
creted among the makaainani to escape the persecutions of 
his tyrannical and heartless brother ; and as a reconciliation 
between them did not seem to be possible, he had resolved 
to urge Umi into open revolt at once, and to assist him to 
the full extent of his power in organizing a force to contest 
with Hakau the right to the sovereignty of Hawaii. This he 
Avas moved to do, not more because Hakau was a tyrant, 
than that he had sought to degrade the priesthood, of which 
Umi was the nominal head, and in the dedication of a tem- 
ple in Waimea had sacrilegiously usurped the powers and 
privileges of the high-priest. Should the revolt prove unsuc- 
cessful, his life, he well knew, would be one of the forfeits 
of the failure ; but the priest was a courageous man, and did 
not hesitate to accept the hazard of the perilous undertaking. 
Although reared in the priesthood, he could wield a spear with 
the best, and when in arms his fifty years sat lightly upon him. 

With his mind filled with the details of the dangerous la- 
bors before him, the priest tossed restlessly upon his couch of 
kapa until past midnight, when he rose and strolled out among 
the palms. Wearied with walking, he stretched himself up- 
on the grass, and, fanned by the trade-winds and soothed 
by the stars which seemed to smile upon him through the 
branches of the trees, he followed his troubled thoughts into 
the land of dreams ; and there a voice said to him thrice : 
" Let the spears of Hakau be sent beyond the call of the 
Kiha-pu, and the victory of Umi will be bloodless !" 

A voice beside the sleeper awoke him, and he was in- 
formed by the watchman that a considerable number of 
strangers were at the gate and desired admission. The priest 
rose to his feet, and, with the mysterious words of the dream 
still ringing in his ears, proceeded to the gate, where the tall 
form of Umi loomed up in the darkness. Giving him his 
hand with a warm word of welcome, the priest was about to 
conduct him within when he was startled at the sudden appear- 
ance at the gate of a party of armed and resolute-looking men 
— how many he was unable to distinguish. 

The priest was about to speak when Umi laid his hand 
upon his shoulder and said in a low voice : " All trusty 
friends." 



286 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

" Then all are welcome," replied the priest, and, giving aa 
order to the watchman, he stepped aside with Umi, when two 
hundred warriors, appareled for battle, silently filed in double 
rank through the opening, following Omaukamau and Piimai- 
waa to quarters evidently prepared for a much greater number. 

" Truly, a good beginning ! " exclaimed the priest, with en- 
thusiasm, as the last of the little army passed the gate. 

"A few that my good friends have been sounding since 
yesterday," said Umi, modestly. " They do not know me yet 
as Umi, but are inspired with a hatred for Hakau. The num- 
ber could have been greatly increased, but I feared your abili- 
ty to accommodate more without warning." 

" It was thoughtful ; but ten times their number can be 
secreted within these walls. But come," continued the priest, 
taking the arm of Umi and proceeding toward the larger 
mansion ; " there is red in the east, and you must have rest 
and sleep. When you awake I will give you a dream to in- 
terpret. It relates to the business before us." 

" Tell me of the dream before I sleep, good Kaoleioku,"" 
urged Umi, pleasantly, " and perhaps some god may whisper 
an answer to it in my slumbers." 

" Well thought," replied the priest ; and he related his 
dream to Umi as he conducted him to a room in the large 
Mle and pointed to a pile of soft kapa on a low platform. 

The priest bowed and retired, and Umi, who had rested but 
little for three days, threw himself upon the kapa-iiioe and slept 
soundly until the sun was high in the heavens. 

The young chief awoke greatly refreshed, and, after his morn- 
ing bath, sought the presence of the priest, who since daylight 
had been busily engaged in despatching messengers to his friends 
in various parts of the district, and even to Puna and Hamakua, 
and arranging for supplies of arms, provisions and other warlike 
stores. Against the walls of the enclosure a number of long 
sheds had been hastily constructed, under which, screened from 
observation from without, men were repointing spears and ihes, 
and repairing slings, daggers and other weapons. In fact, the 
enclosure began to assume the appearance of a military camp 
rather than the peaceful habitation of a priest ; and as Umi 
looked around him he appreciated for the first time that a step 
had been taken which could not be retraced, and that the lives 



UMI, THE PEASANT PRINCE OF HAWAII. 287 

of himself and many of his friends could be saved alone by destroy- 
ing Hakau, in whose heart lived no feeling of mercy. But, as the 
conflict had been forced upon him, he accepted it without fear or 
regret, and his courage would not permit him to doubt the result. 

Umi greeted and thanked the priest for the warlike prepara- 
tions visible on all sides, and over their morning meal together 
were discussed the resources and details of the coming struggle. 
It was not believed that a sufficient force could be rallied in the 
district to make head against the battalions of the king in open 
\ flight, for news of the ripening rebellion was spreading in the 
neighborhood and would soon reach Waipio. 

"What we lack in spears must be made up in cunning," said 
the priest, confidently. " The gods are with us, and the means 
of victory will be pointed out." 

"Perhaps," replied Umi, thoughtfully; "but sometimes the 
direction is vague and we are apt to mistake it. Olopana failed 
to interpret correctly the will of Kane., as sent to him through his 
high-priest, and was driven by the floods from Waipio,. and com- 
pelled to return \.o KaJiiki, the land of his fathers." 

"True," returned the priest, not a little astonished at Umi's 
knowledge of the anp ient chiefs of Hawaii, " and we must not 
fall into the same error. The gods, perhaps, have already spoken. 
' Let the spears of Hakau be sent beyond the call of the Kiha- 
pu,' are the words that have come to me, but I can find no inter- 
pretation of them. We must make sacrifice at once, and consult 
the kaulas." 

" That would be well," said Umi ; " yet it may be that a hint 
of their meaning, if nothing more, has been sent to me. I slept 
with the words this morning, you will remember, and now I re- 
call that a whisper advised that we should take to our counsel 
Nunu and Kakohe, of Waipio." 

"You have made the way clear !" exclaimed the priest, earn- 
estly. " I know the men well. They are priests of influence 
and large learning. They were the advisers of Liloa, and are 
now the enemies of Hakau." 

" The same," said Umi ; " I have met them both." 

" Then will we despatch a discreet messenger for them at 
once," returned the priest, rising abruptly. " Every moment is 
precious, and their counsel may be the voice of the gods." 

And now, while the messenger is on his way to Waipio, it may 



265 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

be in place to make some further mention of the two priests in 
search of whom he was sent, as they contributed in no small 
measure to Umi's final success, and were thereafter rated among 
his confidential counsellors. 

Nunu and Kakohe were chiefs of distinction and belonged to 
the priesthood. They were both learned in the lore of the gods 
and the traditions of the people, and were so highly esteemed by 
Liloa that he frequently invited them to the royal mansion, and 
late in life spent one or more evenings with them in each month, 
when he listened to recitals of the traditions of his fathers, 
and mistier lines of demi-gods and heroes stretching backward 
in unbroken thread to the morning of creation. They were 
among the few who could recite the sacred genealogical mele of 
Kumuhonua, the Hawaiian Adam, and he loved to listen to the 
naming of the generations from the first man to Nuu, of the 
great flood, and thence to Wakea, and downward still nearly 
sixty generations to himself. Some differences existing between 
the genealogies of Hawaii and Maui, Liloa had sent them to the 
latter island to confer with its priests and historians, with the 
view of reconciling their disagreements. Their mission was suc- 
cessful, and what is known as the U/ii- genealogy was the result 
of the learned conference. 

These were among the friends of Liloa who, for the sake of 
the father and the honor of the royal line, had patiently and 
earnestly sought to divert Hakau from his barbarous practices. 
But he had scorned their kind offices, made light of their learn- 
ing, and finally denied them admission to the palace. He hoped 
by his cruelty to drive them from Waipio ; but in the prophetic 
flames they had read their future, and from within the sacred anu 
of the temple voices had come to them enjoining patience ; ,so 
they sat down and waited. 

Arriving at Waipio, the messenger of Kaoleioku had but little 
difficulty in finding the two priests of whom he was in search. 
It was some hours after nightfall, but on inquiry he was directed 
to their humble dwelling on the south side of the stream, and 
soon stood at their door. It was dark within, and on making his 
presence known two men appeared at the opening. The messen- 
ger saluted them politely, and, observing but a single person, 
they cautiously stepped from the door and inquired of the visi- 
tor his business with them. 



UMI, THE PEASANT PRINCE OF HAWAII. 289 

By their garb and bearing he knew them to be priests, but 
that was not enough ; he could afford to make no mistake, so 
he dissembled and said : 

" I have probably been misinformed ; this is not the house of 
Monana, the fisherman ? " 

"My friend," said Nunu, "your words do not mislead us. 
Whether for good or evil I know not, but you are in search of 
Kakohe and Nunu, and they are here. If you have business with 
them, speak ; there are no listeners." 

The messenger answered by unfolding from a piece of kapa 
an ivory talisman carved from a whale's tooth, which he handed 
to Nunu, with a request that he would examine it. Stepping to 
a fire still smouldering near the oven of the hut, the priest threw 
upon it a handful of dry bark, which in a moment burst into a 
flame and enabled him to inspect the palaoa. Returning and ad- 
dressing a few words to his companion, the priest said to the mes- 
senger : 

"You are from Kaoleioku, of Waipunalei." 

" I am from Kaoleioku, of Waipunalei," repeated the messen- 
ger, bowing. 

" How long since ? " inquired the priest. 

" Late this morning," was the answer. 

" You must have traveled swiftly, for the paths are rough and the 
distance is a long day's journey," suggested the priest, cautiously. 

" My feet have known no rest," was the brief reply. 

"What news bring you of Kaoleioku ?" 

" None." 

" Then why are you here with \\\\?, palaoa ?" 

"Because so commanded by Kaoleioku." 

"There are rumors of coming troubles on the borders of 
Hamakua. Has Kaoleioku sent you to tell us of them ? " 

" I am here to say nothing of Kaoleioku, but to say for him, 
and to say only, that he prays that Nunu and Kakohe will meet 
him under his own roof at Waipunalei without delay." 

" And nothing more ? " 

" Nothing more." 

"You are discreet." 

" I am simply the bearer of a message ; and now that I have 
delivered it, I am waiting for such answer as you may desire to 
send back with me to Kaoleioku." 



290 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

"When will you return?" 

" To-night." 

" Then tell Kaoleioku that his friends Nunu and Kakohe will 
be with him by this time to-morrow. Now come," continued the 
priest, "there is meat in the mua, and you must eat, for there is a 
wearying journey before you." 

The messenger was led into an adjoining hut, where meat and 
poi were set before him, and half an hour after he was scaling the 
hills east of the valley of Waipio. 

Although the messenger was silent, the priests felt assured 
that there was a gathering of spears in the neighborhood of Wai- 
punalei, and that Kaoleioku was secretly inciting a revolt. They 
knew that Umi was somewhere among the hills of Hilo, and felt 
strong in hoping that at the proper time he would be found at 
the head of the movement. 

Hakau had very much underrated the power of the priest- 
hood, and did not discover until too late that in seeking to perse- 
cute and degrade Umi, who had been given charge of the gods 
and temples by Liloa, he had provoked the hostility of a class 
which at that period of Hawaiian history no sovereign could 
safely defy. If the tabus of the »/<?/ were sacred, those of the 
high-priests were none the less inviolable, and the strongest chiefs 
in the group were those who held in greatest respect and enjoyed 
the largest friendship of the priesthood. Like the temporal 
rulers, the priests inherited their functions, and were as jealous of 
their prerogatives as royalty itself. It was through them that the 
civil as well as the religious traditions of the people had been 
brought down and perpetuated, and through their prayers and 
sacrifices only that the gods could be persuaded to accord suc- 
cess to important undertakings. 

In the veins of some of the priests ran royal blood, and from 
time to time they left their heiaiis and became distinguished as 
warriors ; but under no circumstances did they ever relinquish 
their sacred rights. They not unfrequently possessed large 
landed estates, the title to which remained inalienably in the 
family. Such, for example, was the Kekaha estate, in the district 
of Kona, Hawaii, which was the gift of Liloa to Laeanui, and 
which remained with the descendants of that eminent high-priest 
until the days of Kamehameha I. 

Such a warrior-priest of goodly possessions was Kaoleioku, of 



UMI, THE PEASANT PRINCE OF HAWAII. 29! 

Waipunalei. He was the high-priest of the temple of Manini, at 
Koholalele, which was consecrated, as before related, in the time 
of Liloa. Although for some years he had seldom officiated, ex- 
cept on important occasions— preferring the quieter life of his es- 
tate at Waipunalei — he was greatly respected by the people of the 
district, and his influence proved a tower of strength to Umi. 



IV. 



True to the answer returned to Kaoleioku by his messenger, 
Nunu and Kakohe reached Waipunalei the following night ; and 
when they saw the warlike preparations, and learned that Umi 
was present and that the acclaim of revolt was to be raised in 
his name, they wept for joy. It was past midnight, and their 
limbs were weary, but they could not sleep. At their request 
the door of Umi's room was pointed out to them, and they went 
and sat down beside it. For an hour or more they did not 
speak. Then, when all was still within the walls, in a low tone 
they began the legendary chant of the kings of Hawaii. As they 
proceeded with a record which few on the island beside them- 
selves could correctly repeat, their voices rose with their enthu- 
siasm, and in a few minutes hundreds of half-naked men crept 
from their barrack lodgings and stood listening to the metric sen- 
tences of the learned historians. As they reached the name of 
Kiha, Umi stepped without the door. The priests recognized 
him and rose to their feet. Then, continuing the mele, they 
chanted the name of Kiha, of Liloa, of Hakau, and finally of 
Umi, represented as having wrested the sceptre from his unwor- 
thy brother, who was hated by his subjects and abandoned by 
the gods. With this they dropped on their knees before him and 
boldly saluted him as moi of Hawaii. 

This acquainted many of the warriors present for the first 
time of Umi's rank, and the wildest enthusiasm seized them. 
They asked to be led at once to Waipio, and were only quieted 
when Kaoleioku appeared and assured them that their patriotic 
wishes would soon be gratified. 

At first Kaoleioku deemed this early development of the 
purposes of the movement untimely, if not, indeed, unfortunate. 
Many preparations remained to be made. It had been a sugges- 



292 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

tion of Umi that a part of the rebel forces should be sent to 
Waipio by water ; but the canoes necessary for the expedition 
had not been secured, and not more than a thousand warriors had 
reported. Secrecy could no longer be maintained, and immediate 
and open action appeared to be now unavoidable. Yet it was 
through Nunu and Kakohe that his plans had been thwarted, 
and while he felt annoyed at what they had done, he retired, 
hoping they had acted advisedly in the matter. 

The conduct of the priests was explained and approved the 
next morning. They urged immediate action. Hakau was not 
prepared for a sudden attack. For many years there had been 
no wars of consequence, and such of his supporters as the king 
could hastily summon to his assistance would be improperly 
armed and without discipline. 

Their advice was for Umi to raise the standard of revolt at 
once. This news they would take to Waipio, with the further in- 
formation that, although preparing for rebellion, Umi would not 
be strong enough to act for some time. Alarmed, Hakau would 
consult the high-priest Laeanui, who, notwithstanding their rela- 
tions, was secretly his enemy, and a plan could be devised to in- 
duce the king to send his household guards and immediate fol- 
lowers to the mountains on some religious errand, when Umi, ap- 
prised of the situation by fires kindled at intervals on the hill- 
tops between Waipio and Waipunalei, could swoop down with a 
few hundred resolute warriors and seize the king and the capital, 
and thus with a bold stroke achieve a bloodless triumph. 

When the priests had developed this plan of action Kao- 
leioku rose to his feet and exclaimed with excitement : 

" The gods have instructed you ! " 

" You have spoken truly ; the gods have indeed instructed 
our friends!" said Umi, impressively ; "for was it not said in 
your dreams that the victory would be bloodless if the spears of 
Hakau were sent beyond the call of the Kiha-piil " 

"The meaning is now plain," returned the priest, reveren^ 
tially. " The gods are with us, and we will be directed by 
them." 

All the details were then carefully arranged, and the two 
priests returned to Waipio. It was soon rumored that they 
brought news of Umi, and Hakau sent for them, as had been ex- 
pected. Fear had somewhat humbled him, and he greeted them 



UML THE PEASANT PRINCE OF HAWAII. 



^93 



with what seemed to be the greatest friendship and cordiaHty. 
He even chided them for absenting themselves so long from the 
royal mansion, where their visits, he assured them, would always 
be welcome. They assumed to be greatly gratified at his protes- 
tations of good-will, but secretly despised him for his shallow 
hypocrisy. 

When questioned by the king the priests frankly informed 
him that they had left Umi and Kaoleioku together no longer 
than the day before, and advised him to lose no time in despatch- 
ing to the mountains all the men he could summon, to gather 
fresh feathers of rare birds with which to redecorate his god 
of war. 

Hakau was startled by this advice, for the ceremony of kau- 
ilaakua was never performed except in times of war or other im- 
minent peril. 

" What ! " he exclaimed, with assumed astonishment, " shall 
this be done because Umi lives, and you have seen him with the 
high-priest of ManiniV 

" No ; not because Umi lives," replied Nunu quietly, " but 
because he is preparing for rebellion." 

"Rebellion!" repeated Hakau, angrily. "Does he expect to 
be able to maintain himself in Hilo ? " 

" His aims reach beyond Hilo," ventured the priest. 

"To Puna?" 

"Beyond Puna." 

"To Kau?" 

" Beyond Kau." 

"Then he must aim at the whole island," exclaimed Hakau, 
savagely. 

"At the whole island," repeated the priest, maliciously. 

" He shall have land enough to bury him, and no more ! " 
hissed the king. " But you are croakers, both of you. Before 
considering your advice I shall consult Laeanui and the seers of 
Faaka/am, and hear what the gods say of this wide-spread con- 
spiracy, as your fears and cowardice tell the story." 

Hakau abruptly dismissed the priests, and despatched a mes- 
senger for the high-priest Laeanui, but it was late in the after- 
noon before he could be found. He was old and venerable in 
appearance, and his hair, white as the snows of Mauna Kea, fell 
to his knees, covering his shoulders like a veil. 



294 '^^^^ LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

They had met but rarely since the death of Liloa, for the old 
priest seldom left the temple grounds, and Hakau as seldom vis- 
ited them ; and as the bearded and white-haired prophet entered 
the royal mansion, all bent respectfully before him, and a feeling 
of awe crept over the king as the priest stood silently and with 
folded arms before him. 

" My greeting to you, venerable servant of the gods ! " said 
the king. 

The priest bowed, but remained silent, and Hakau resumed 
abruptly : 

" I have learned that Umi and a priest named Kaoleioku are 
plotting treason together in Hilo, near the borders of Hamakua. 
What know you of Kaoleioku ?" 

"A man to be feared if he is in earnest," replied the priest 
curtly. 

"Have auguries of the movement been invoked?" inquired 
the king. 

With a gesture the priest replied in the negative. 

"And why not?" continued Hakau, impetuously. "What 
are priests and temples for, if not to guard the kingdom against 
coming dangers ? " 

" If it so please them, the gods answer when they are asked 
through sacrifice," replied the priest ; and then, with rising an- 
ger, he continued: "Your father respected the gods, and came 
to the temple when he would consult them, and his son must do 
the same." 

"Well, then," said Hakau, discovering that the priest neither 
loved nor feared him, " I will be at the temple to-night, some 
time after sunset, and have you there the best of your diviners." 

" I shall await your coming," replied Laeanui, briefly, as he 
bowed low and retired. 

"Although he gave me his daughter," muttered Hakau, as 
Laeanui left the room, " he has no love for me, and I as little for 
him. But no matter ; I must not quarrel with him now. Wait 
until T have dealt with Umi and his confederates, and then — " 
But he did not finish the sentence, for he suddenly recollected 
that the high-priesthood was an inherited position, like his own, 
and its bestowal was not a royal prerogative. There were bloody 
means of creating vacancies, however, and these flashed through 
the wicked brain of Hakau. 



UMI, THE PEASANT PRINCE OF HAWAII. 295 

The night that followed was dark, with a steady wind from 
the northwest and occasional showers. It was some time after 
sunset before the king entered the outer gate of the heiau of Paa- 
kalani. He was accompanied by four attendants, two of whom 
bore a muzzled pig and two fowls; the others were trusty friends. 
A kukici torch was kept burning in front of the house of the high- 
priest, another between the altar and inner court, and a third 
near the entrance of the royal retreat, with which that heiau, like 
many others, was provided. Toward the latter Hakau and his 
party proceeded, and were soon joined by Laeanui and a number 
of officiating priests and kilos. 

Entering the royal kale, a few words passed between the king 
and Laeanui, when the attendants of Hakau were relieved of their 
burdens and sent without the enclosure. The kaika, or large 
sacrificial drum, was then sounded with three measured strokes, 
and in a few minutes six officiating priests, three of them with 
knives in their hands and the others bearing torches, made their 
appearance. To them the pig and fowls were entrusted, and, 
preceded by the torch-bearers, the king and high-priest, followed 
by the attendants of the temple, with measured pace moved to- 
ward the altar. 

Reaching the place of sacrifice, the high-priest uttered a 
prayer to the godhead, and separate supplications to Kane, Kit 
and Lono, intoned by the assisting priests, when the fowls were 
decapitated and their headless bodies placed upon the altar. The 
priest watched them until they were motionless, and then opened 
them and carefully examined the heart, liver and entrails of each. 

The king glanced anxiously at the priest, but the latter made 
no response. The pig was then ordered to be slain. The throat 
of the animal was cut and its bleeding body was also placed upon 
the altar. The flow of the blood was scrupulously noted, and, 
after the respirations had been counted and the animal ceased to 
breathe, the body was hastily opened. The spleen was removed 
and held above the head of the priest while another prayer was 
spoken, and then the other organs were separately examined. 

Completing the inspection, Laeanui stepped back from the 
altar. 

" Well," said the king, impatiently, "what say the gods ? " 

" The gods are angry, and the portents are evil," replied the 
priest. 



2Q6 the legends and myths of HAWAII. 

" Then promise them a hundred human sacrifices," exclaimed 
Hakau. " If their favor is to be purchased with blood, I will 
drown the /leiau with an ocean of it. But," he continued, " I 
am not satisfied with these auguries. Let me hear from -the 
a/iu." 

Immediately behind the altar was the entrance to the inner 
court of the temple. Within, and about three paces back from 
the door, which was covered with a wide breadth of ^apa, was. 
placed the a/iu, a wicker enclosure four or five feet in diameter, 
in which stood the oracle. On each side of the entrance were 
carved images of Xa/ie, Ku, Lono and other Hawaiian deities, 
while at intervals of three or four feet along the walls a score 
or more of gods of lesser potency stood guard above the sacred 
spot. 

To the last request of Hakau the priest replied: "The king 
shall hear from the ami." 

The lights were then extinguished, and all except the king 
and high-priest retired some distance from the altar, that no 
whisper of the oracle might reach them. Hakau was nervous as 
he stepped with the priest in front of the entrance to the inner 
temple. A prayer was uttered by the priest; the kapa screen was 
drawn aside by hands unseen, and the king stood looking into 
the intense darkness of the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. 

"Speak ! " said the priest, withdrawing behind the altar, and 
leaving the king alone before the a7iu. 

" Speak! " repeated a hollow voice from within the sacred en- 
closure. 

For some minutes Hakau remained awed and silent ; then, in 
a voice which scarcely seemed to be his own, he said : 

"Great power, I hear that dangers threaten." 

" Dangers threaten ! " came like an echo from within. 

" How may they be averted ? " inquired the king. 

For a time there was no answer. Finally a voice from the 
anu replied : 

" Do homage to Ka7ie; make glad the war-god of Liloa ! " 

" So do I promise," answered the king ; " but will that give 
me victory ?" 

" Victory ! " was repeated from the anu. 

Elated at what he had heard, Hakau continued : 

" Now tell me, mighty spirit, whether Umi — " 



UMI, THE PEASANT PRINCE OF HAWAII. 297 

" Nothing more ! " interrupted the voice from within, as the 
kapa suddenly dropped before the ftntrance. 

" Well, thanks for so much," said Hakau, turning and joining 
the priest at the altar, and repeating to him, with some favorable 
additions, the words that he had heard. Darkness hid the smile 
upon the lips of Laeanui. 

" The day after to-morrow we will hold here a festival to 
Kane, and the altar shall be heaped with offerings," said the 
king. " To-morrow I will send my people to the mountains to 
gather feathers of sacred and royal colors, and Kaili, the neg- 
lected war-god of Liloa, shall be made glorious in new plumage 
and glad with abundant sacrifice." 

" It is well," replied the priest. 

" Now let the conspirators marshal their spears ! " continued 
Hakau, confidently, "and we will make short work of them. 
They cannot be punished in the hills of Hilo. With a showing 
of weakness we will lure them to Waipio, and not one of them 
shall escape. We will cut off their retreat, and close in their 
faces the gates of the puhonui ! " 

As already mentioned, of the two puhonuis, or places of 
refuge, on Hawaii at that time, one was an adjunct of the hei- 
au of Paakalafti, at Waipio. In times of war their gates, with 
white flags to mark them, were always open, and those who suc- 
ceeded in passing into the enclosure were safe from assault, even 
though pursued by the king himself. 

This savage proposal to close the gates of the puhonui was. 
promptly resented by Laeanui. He would as soon have thought 
of tumbling the gods from their pedestals and consigning them 
to the flames. 

"You suggest what is impossible," said the priest. "Since 
the days of Wakea the/Z(!//^«Z(!/ has been sacred. Its gates can- 
not be closed to the defenceless, and the gods have said that he 
who shuts them against the weak shall seek in vain their shelter 
from the arm of the strong." 

" Well, then, keep them open ! " retorted the king, sharply. 
"They will run swiftly who enter them ! " 

Torches were relighted, and the king and his attendants left 
the heiau. They had not passed beyond the outer wall before 
Nunu emerged from the inner court. His was the voice that 
had answered the king from the a^iu. Thus in the temple of 



290 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

Paakalani was shaped the destruction of Hakau, and the priests 
whom he had insulted and defied opened broadly and surely 
the way to his death. 

The next morning an unusual commotion was observed in 
and around the royal mansion, and as party after party left the 
inclosure — some proceeding toward the sea-coast, and others up 
the valley and into the mountains beyond — the villagers won- 
dered at the proceeding, and predicted that a strict tabu would 
soon follow, whatever might be the occasion. But when they 
learned that the war-god was to be redecorated, and an impos- 
ing religious festival was to follow the day after, they knew that 
trouble of some kind was anticipated by the king, and soon 
found a correct explanation of the movement in the rumors 
which they, too, had' heard concerning Umi and his friends in 
Hilo and eastern Hamakua. The possibility of an uprising 
against Hakau gave them no uneasiness, however, for his cruel- 
ties had secured for him their hatred, while the name of Umi was 
to all classes a synonym of strength and gentleness. 

The king was not indifferent to the danger with which he was 
about to be confronted, and promptly despatched limapais to the 
district chiefs of Kohala, Kona, and Hamakua, ordering them 
to report without delay at Waipio with two thousand warriors 
each, while the governor of Hilo was commanded by a special 
lunapai to march at once with a body of warriors to Waipunalei, 
with the view of precipitating the movement of Umi upon 
Waipio, where, it was not doubted, he would be overwhelmed 
and crushed. 

All these were proper precautions, but they were taken too 
late ; for at the time the feather-hunters and lunapais were leav- 
ing on their respective missions, Umi, at the head of over two 
thousand well-armed and resolute warriors, had reached a point 
within a two hours' march of Waipio, and was awaiting a signal 
to swoop down upon the valley. 

And now let us return to Waipunalei, and note what had 
been occurring there during the preceding forty-eight hours. As 
soon as the priests left for Waipio, two days before, trusty and 
intelligent sentinels followed and took their respective stations, 
designated by Maukaleoleo, on the summits of seven different 
hill-tops discernible from each other from Waipunalei to Wai- 
pio. The first, coming eastward from Waipio, was three miles. 



UMl, THE PEASANT PRINCE OF HAWAII. 299 

perhaps, from the temple of Paakalani ; the last was a rocky 
pinnacle about four miles from Waipunalei. This was the station 
of Maukaleoleo. 

The sentinels were instructed to gather large heaps of dry 
grass and bark ; to keep small fires smouldering and ready for 
use ; to vigilantly watch the peaks in the direction of Waipio ; to 
apply the torch the instant a signal-fire was seen, and keep the 
pile burning until it was plainly answered by the next station 
toward Waipunalei. 

All that day and through the following night armed men were 
arriving at the rendezvous at Kaoleioku's, until something more 
than two thousand warriors had reported, and every spare mo- 
ment of the next day was devoted to forming them into com- 
panies and battalions, giving them leaders and preparing them 
for a rapid march. 

Many of the warriors were accompanied by their wives, 
daughters or sisters ; for in those days, and later, women not un- 
frequently followed their fathers, brothers and husbands to bat- 
tle, generally keeping in the rear to furnish them with food and 
water, but sometimes, in a close and desperate conflict, mingling 
bravely in the fight. In such cases they gave and received blows, 
and expected and were accorded no consideration because of 
their sex. 

Instances are given in Hawaiian tradition of the tide of bat- 
tle being turned, on more than one occasion, by desperate women 
transformed from camp-followers into warriors ; and as late as 
•I 81 9 we behold Manona, wife of Kekuokalani, the last sturdy 
champion of the gods of his fathers, falling lifeless in battle upon 
fthe body of her dead husband at Kuamoo, while Kaahumanu 
and Kalakau, widows of the great Kamehameha, commanded 
the fleet of canoes operating with the land forces under Kalai- 
moku. 

After the visit of the priests from Waipio the purpose of the 
revolt was no longer disguised, and whenever Umi made his ap- 
pearance among the assembled and assembling warriors he was 
greeted with the wildest enthusiasm. His romantic history was 
known to them, and had been made the theme of song. His 
many triumphs at the festival given by Liloa in honor of his 
formal recognition were recited by those who had witnessed 
them, and his grand proportions and noble bearing stamped him 



300 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 

as of chiefly blood ; and when his friends Piimaiwaa and Omau- 
kamau spoke of the great learning displayed by him when ques- 
tioned by the priests, and intimated that he had been instructed 
by the gods and was under their care, every doubt of success 
vanished, and the order for an advance upon Waipio was awaited 
with impatience. 

Maukaleoleo mysteriously came and went, but always at 
night, and seldom remaining longer than a few minutes. He was 
known to all within the enclosure, and allowed to pass unchal- 
lenged, as he could be mistaken for no one else. As he strode 
through the gateway, bearing a spear scarcely less than thirty feet 
in length, the sentinels regarded him with awe ; and when they 
saw him converse with Umi and then silently depart, they shook 
their heads and said, " Perhaps he is Lono ! " 

The temple of Manmi, dedicated by Liloa just before his 
meeting with the mother of Umi, and of which Kaoleioku was 
the high-priest, was a reconstruction and enlargement of an old 
heiau which was in existence certainly as early as the time of 
the warlike Kalaunuiohua, who reigned between the years 1260 
and 1300. With a large army and proportionate fleet of canoes 
he invaded Maui, Molokai and Oahu, and, taking their captured 
sovereigns with him, made a descent upon Kauai. But his tri- 
umphs ended there. After an obstinate battle he was defeated 
and taken prisoner, but was subsequently released and permitted 
to return to his own kingdom. 

It was during the reign of this sovereign that the prophetess 
Waahia lived. She accompanied him in his expeditions as far as 
Oahu, but refused to proceed with him to Kauai. She declared 
that the gods would bring calamity upon him if he invaded that 
island, and sought to persuade him to consolidate his conquests 
and return to Hawaii. But the warrior-king cared but little for 
priests or temples, and was in the habit of destroying both when 
they failed to subserve his purposes. Enraged at the unfavor- 
able auguries of Waahia, and fearful that they might come to the 
ears of and demoralize his warriors, the king induced her to re- 
turn to Hawaii. One tradition says she voluntarily abandoned 
Kalaunuiohua, while another relates that she consented to return 
only on condition that the war-god of the king be sent back with 
her. This god had been in the reigning family of Hawaii since 
the days of Paao, and had been sanctified by that father of the 



UMI, THE PEASANT PRINCE OF HAWAII. 30 1 

priesthood. To distinguish it from other war-gods it was known 
as Akuapaao, and was held in great veneration. When asked for 
an explanation of the strange request, the prophetess boldly de- 
clared that, if the god was taken to Kauai, it would never return 
except at the head of a conquering army that would make of 
Hawaii a tributary kingdom. 

" Then take it with you! " exclaimed the king, savagely, " and 
if I return to Hawaii alive I will burn you both together ! " 

"You will burn neither," said Waahia. "When you return 
to Hawaii you will think better of the gods and their servants ; 
and in generations to come, when angry spears shall be crossed 
in the hale of the kings of Hawaii, the hand will be stronger that 
places the fresh lei upon the shoulders of Akuapaao.'" 

The prophetess prepared to embark. The god, wrapped in 
a fold of kapa, so that it might not be recognized, was brought 
to the beach and delivered to the departing seeress. The canoe, 
which was large enough to accommodate thirty persons, was 
shoved into the surf. It was provided with food and a calabash 
of water. Declining all assistance or companionship in her 
journey, Waahia stepped into the canoe with the image in her 
arms, and, after carefully depositing it in the bow of the boat, 
returned and seated herself near the stern. Half a dozen men 
were waiting for the word to launch the canoe from the sands 
upon which the stern was lightly resting. But the seeress raised 
no sail, touched no oar. For some minutes she sat, silent and 
motionless, with bent head and clasped hands, as if in prayer, 
while hundreds of curious eyes watched her in amazement, won- 
dering what would become of her, even should the unmanned 
craft be successful in passing the breakers. Then she slowly 
rose to her feet, and the canoe began to glide toward the reef. 
Faster and faster it moved, until, mounting a retreating wave, it 
was borne swiftly out into the calmer waters; then, slightly turn- 
ing in its course, it dashed southward with the speed of the wind, 
and was soon lost to the view of the awe-stricken beholders. 

Waahia looked beneath the waves and smiled, for Ukanipo, 
the shark-god, with scores of assistants, was bearing her onward; 
and then from his tpu Laamaomao, the Hawaiian ^olus, let loose 
the imprisoned winds, and refreshing zephyrs cooled the face of 
the prophetess and accelerated the speed of the canoe, until it 
seemed to leap from wave to wave; and great sea-birds screamed 



302 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

with fright as it dashed past and awoke them from their billowy 
slumbers, leaving behind it a long trail of troubled waters. 

Passing to the southward of the intervening islands, the ca- 
noe was borne with undiminished speed through the channel of 
Alenuihaha to the northeastern coast of Hawaii, and before sun- 
set was beached at Koholalele. The prophetess knew the mean- 
ing of this. Near by was the old heiaii of Maiiini, and thither, 
as she felt instructed, was taken and deposited the war-g d 
Akuapaao, with the solemn injunction to the high-priest in charge 
that it was never to be removed from the inner court unless the 
life of the moi was in peril or the kingdom was invaded by a 
foreign foe. 

The old heiau had given place to a more imposing structure 
during the reign of Liloa. Its outer walls had been enlarged, 
raised and repaired, and its inner belongings improved and re- 
decorated; but its sacred relics had not been disturbed, and its 
many gods remained where they had been for generations. 

Among the most sacred idols of the temple, even after the 
death of Liloa, was the Akuapaao. Its name indicated alike its- 
age and sanctity; and while the legends connected with it had 
become vague and distorted in their transmission through a long 
line of priests, the prophecy of Waahia still clung to it, and it 
was especially reverenced by the few to whom was entrusted the 
secret of its functions. 

Hakau had learned of this god from his royal father, and the 
same morning that his retainers were sent to the hills for feathers 
two priests were despatched to Koholalele, with orders to bring 
to Waipio, in the king's name and without delay, the war-god 
Akuapaao, Should the priests of the temple refuse to surrender 
the idol, then the messengers were instructed to call upon the dis- 
trict chiefs for assistance, and take it by force, no matter at what 
cost of life. 

But the king was too late, for at early daylight of the morning 
of the day before his messengers left Waipio, Maukaleoleo strode 
into the rebel headquarters with the Akuapaao in his arms. 
Kaoleioku had, of course, instructed the giant where and how to 
secure the image, for in years past he had been its custodian, and 
his orders continued to be obeyed by the priests of Manini. 
The idol, completely wrapped in kapa, was deposited in the pri- 
vate heiau of the high-priest, and Maukaleoleo left the enclosure 



UMI, THE PEASANT PRINCE OF HA WAIL 303 

as quietly as he had entered it a few minutes before. The senti- 
nels wondered, as usual, but bowed in silence as he came and 
went. 

The priest rose with the sun, and learned that Maukaleoleo 
had already been a visitor that morning. He hastened to the 
heiau, and there found the Akuapaao. He was overjoyed. He 
removed the kapa covering from the idol, placed it upon a ped- 
estal between the images of Ku and Lono, and then found Umi 
and brought him to the heiau. Entering, Kaoleioku closed the 
door and pointed to the Akuapaao. Umi bowed reverently be- 
fore it. 

" Listen, O Umi ! " said the priest ; "listen, O son of Liloa ! 
Behold the war-god of your fathers ! It was sanctified by the 
touch of Paao, and for generations, in the inner chamber of 
Manini, has awaited your coming. From Waahia, the prophetess, 
have come down, through the chief priests of the heiau, these 
words: ' When angry spears shall be crossed in the hale of the 
kings of Hawaii, the hand will be the stronger that places the 
fresh lei upon the shoulders of Akuapaao.' The spears are about 
to be crossed ; the god is here; let yours be the hand, and not 
Hakau's, to place the lei-ai upon the shoulders of Akuapaao ! " 

The words of the prophecy came to Umi as a dream. Over- 
whelmed with their significance, he fell upon his knees and ex- 
claimed : 

" God of my fathers ! be you my guide until I prove un- 
worthy of your protection ! " 

"Your realm is yet small," said the priest, "and is enclosed 
within these walls. Let us pay respect to the gods, that its 
boundaries may be enlarged." 

Thereupon a strict ladu was ordered to all within the walls, to 
begin at midday and continue until the setting of the sun. The 
time was brief, but events were pressing, and it could not safely 
be extended. 

The ladu, or kapu, as it is sometimes written, was strictly a 
prerogative of the high chiefs and priests of olden Hawaii. 
There were fixed la^us of custom, and declared ladus of limited 
duration by the temporal and spiritual rulers. The penalty for 
the violation of all lal/us was death. It was lal>u of custom for 
men and women to eat together, or for women to eat of the flesh 
of swine, fowls, turtle and many kinds of fish. Everything 



304 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 

belonging to the kings, priests and temples was tabu, or sacred, 
and springs, paths, fishing-grounds, water-courses, etc., were fre- 
quently thus kept from the use of the people. Declared general 
tabus, for the propitiation of the gods or the amelioration of a 
public evil, were either strict or common, according to the emer- 
gency. During the time of a common tabu the people were re- 
quired to abstain from their usual avocations and attend at the 
heiau, where morning and evening prayers were offered. A strict 
tabu was more sacred. While it continued — generally one or two 
days — all, with the exception of the alit-nui and. priests, were com- 
pelled to remain within doors. Every fire and every light was 
extinguished ; no canoe was launched ; all noises ceased ; the 
pigs and dogs were muzzled, and fowls were placed under cala- 
bashes. These tabus were proclaimed by heralds, and their wan- 
ton violation was an unpardonable offence. 

In preparation for the tabu to be declared by Umi, flowers 
and feathers were brought, and lets of both were woven. Every- 
thing being in readiness, heralds proclaimed the tabu and its du- 
ration, with the further announcement that the occasion was the 
arrival of the mighty war-god Akuapaao and its coming decora- 
tion by Umi. 

As the sun touched the mark of meridian, the gates of the 
enclosure were barred and guarded by the religious attendants of 
the priest ; the fires were everywhere extinguished ; the few ani- 
mals within the walls were either muzzled or hidden ; men, 
women and children suddenly disappeared within their dweUings 
or quarters, and mats were hung at the openings ; Umi and the 
priest retired alone to the heiau and closed the door, and silence, 
disturbed only by low whispers and the mufiflied footfalls of the 
watching priests, reigned over the twenty-five hundred persons 
gathered within the enclosure. 

In the heiau, or apartment of the gods, to which Umi and the 
high-priest retired, were a number of images and sacred relics. 
Near the centre of the room was a small altar, upon which had 
been deposited the leis provided for the decoration of Akuapaao. 
They sat down beside it, and for an hour or more nothing was 
heard but the whispered prayers of the priest, addressed in turn 
to the several gods before him. Then, rising and leading Umi by 
the hand to the Akuapaao, in a low voice he formally presented 
him to the god as the son of Liloa and rightful ruler of the Ha- 



UMI, THE PEASANT PRINCE OF HAWAII. 305 

waiian people. Another prayer was uttered, and then Umi, with 
the words, "Accept this, O Akuapaao, with the homage of 
Umi ! " proceeded reverently to place around the head and neck 
of the image a number of fragrant his of flowers and wreaths of 
brilliant feathers. 

The priest watched the act intently. As the last wreath of 
feathers, resembling a crown in appearance — the lei-hula-alii — was 
placed upon the head of the image, a sunbeam flashed through 
what seemed to be a small rent in the thatched roof, and for a 
moment haloed the heads of Umi and the god. The priest read 
the answer and smiled. He felt as assured of the favor of the 
gods as if it had been pledged in a voice of thunder, and Umi 
bent low in acknowledgment of the joyful revelation. 

The sun dropped behind the hills ; twilight turned to bronze 
the gold of the valleys, and the tabu was at an end. It was pro- 
claimed that the auguries were highly favorable, and the silence 
of the tabu was broken by wild strains of music and shouts of 
rejoicing. 



As darkness settled upon the camp of the insurgents Umi felt 
that the hour for action was closely at hand. He therefore gave 
orders that preparations for instant departure be maintained 
throughout the night. The moon was waning, with a promise of 
rising some time before morning, and the night set in dark and 
cloudy, with occasional showers. 

About two hours before midnight Maukaleoleo suddenly and 
silently strode past the sentinels. Seeking Umi, he found him in 
council with his friends Omaukamau, Piimaiwaa and the high- 
priest. They were arranging the order of march by the four 
narrow paths at that time leading to Waipio. 

The giant stooped low and looked in upon the council 
through the doorway. He could scarcely distinguish the faces 
within by the light of the flambeau kept burning near the en- 
trance. He did not attempt to enter, but stood silent and mo- 
tionless, with his hands upon his knees, peering into the room as 
if to attract attention. Umi smiled as he recognized the huge 
object, and stepped to the door. The giant rose until his head 



3o6 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 

was above the ridge-pole, and then bowed like the bending of a 
tree before the wind. 

"Well, my good friend," said Umi, "after thanking you for 
your last night's work, let me ask what word you bring." 

" None," replied the giant. " There is no light yet, but I am 
impressed that it will be seen before morning." 

" And so am I, good Maukaleoleo," returned the chief, " and 
your signal will find us prepared." 

" That is what I came to learn," answered the giant, bowing 
and turning to depart. 

" But do not mistake for a signal the rising moon, which will 
soon set its torch upon the hill-tops," suggested Umi, pleas- 
antly. 

" Unless the moon should rise in the west, which it has not 
done since the days of Maui, the mistake would scarcely be pos- 
sible," replied Maukaleoleo, with a smile upon his great face, and 
then, with a few long strides, disappearing in the darkness. 

It must have been at about the time of this interview that 
Hakau was leaving the heiau at Waipio, after having invoked the 
auguries of sacrifice and listened to the voice of Nunu from the 
darkness of the inner temple. The king had scarcely passed the 
gate of the temple leading to the sacred pavement of Liloa, 
which connected the heiau with the royal mansion, and which 
privileged feet alone could tread, when Nunu, after exchanging 
a few words with the high-priest, also left the enclosure, but 
neither over the sacred pavement nor toward the palace. Tak- 
ing a path which did not seem to be new to him, from the facility 
with which he traveled it by the light of the stars, he crossed the 
valley and mounted the high ridge of hills enclosing it on the 
southeast. Ascending the ridge for some distance, and until 
the lights of the valley could no longer be seen, he proceeded 
slowly upward, at intervals striking together two stones and 
listening for a response. At length it came, like an echo of his 
own signal, and a few minutes' walk brought him to a large heap 
of dry leaves and limbs, from behind which Kakohe rose and 
greeted him. 

" Fire it at once ! " said Nunu. " I will explain all when the 
signal is answered." 

Behind a rock, a few paces away, a small fire was smoulder- 
ing. Kakohe sprang and seized a burning brand, which he 



UMI, THE PEASANT PRINCE OF HAWAII. 307 

applied to the heap, and in a moment the red flames reached 
heavenward, throwing a lurid light upon the surrounding hills. 

With their backs to the fire the two priests looked anxiously 
toward the south and east, and in a few minutes far in the dis- 
tance gleamed an answering flame. Satisfied that their signal had 
been seen and responded to, they permitted the fire to die out, 
and then returned to the valley to await the important events of 
the morrow. 

Leaving the rendezvous of the rebels, Maukaleoleo slowly 
returned to his station, for even his mighty limbs at times grew 
weary, and the path leading up the mountain was obscure and 
narrow. Reaching the summit, he examined a small fire hidden 
among the rocks, and was about to stretch himself upon the 
ground, with his face turned eastvv^ard, when he discerned a 
strange, star-like speck upon the horizon. For a moment it 
paled, and then grew brighter and brighter. He stepped to a 
tree near a huge pile of combustibles, and, glancing along a 
horizontal limb that had been previously trimmed for the pur- 
pose, discovered that it pointed directly toward the light. All 
doubt at once disappeared. He knew it was the signal. Spring- 
ing for a brand, the heap was lighted, and by its wild' glare in 
the darkness Maukaleoleo rapidly descended to the valley. His 
fatigue had vanished, for the signal of Hakau's death had been 
lighted by his own hands, and his great heart was in arms. 

The signal was at once discerned by the watchmen at Umi's 
quarters, and in a few minutes all was quiet commotion within the 
walls. Torches were lighted, armed warriors sprang with alacrity 
into line, and half an hour after Umi, in feather mantle and 
helmet plumed with royal colors, and preceded by the war-god 
Akuapaao, borne upon a jna?iele, or palanquin, resting upon the 
shoulders of kahunas, with Kaoleioku as high-priest, marched 
out of the enclosure, followed by two thousand well-armed and 
devoted supporters. His address to his warriors was brief. 
" The moments are precious," said Umi, " and must not be 
wasted in words. Let our spears speak, and at sunset to-morrow 
we will eat meat in peace in Waipio ! " 

As a measure of precaution, in case of disaster, a force suf- 
ficient to hold the premises of the high-priest was left within the 
walls. The advancing army was formed into three divisions, the 
right commanded by Omaukamau and the left by Piimaiwaa, 



308 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

while Umi remained with the centre. Their orders were to move 
rapidly, but as quietly as possible, by three different routes, and 
form a junction at their intersection with the alatiui, or great 
path, leading from the coast to the inland village of Waimea. 
This junction it was expected the left division, traveling a diffi- 
cult mountain-path, would be able to reach two or three hours 
after sunrise. 

It was, perhaps, an hour short of midnight when the last of 
the little army left the enclosure, followed by two or three hun- 
dred women bearing food, water, extra weapons and a variety of 
camp necessaries. The warriors were full of enthusiasm, and 
when Maukaleoleo stepped in among them from the mountains 
like a protecting deity their shouts could scarcely be restrained. 
His appearance was most welcome to Umi, who thanked him 
warmly for what he had done, and expressed a desire that he 
would remain near him during the march, as his familiarity with 
the mountains and their paths would render his advice valuable. 

"But I see another mighty friend has opportunely reported," 
said Umi, pleasantly, as he pointed toward the east. " As the 
moon is about to look over the hills, the torches may soon be ex- 
tinguished, for the paths will be plainer without them." 

The divisions separated, and, dispensing with their torches, 
soon swarmed the several paths leading to Waipio. Each di- 
vision was preceded some distance in its march by a party of 
scouts, with instructions to let no one pass to their front, lest he 
might be a messenger of warning. 

The paths were rough and in places almost choked with un- 
dergrowth, and the advance was exceedingly laborious ; but no 
word of complaint was heard, and about the middle of the fore- 
noon the left division, and the last to arrive, reached the Waimea 
trail at a point leaving the entire force but a short march to Wai- 
pio. A brief halt was ordered, and the food and water brought 
by the women were served to their relatives, and to others if any 
remained. 

Taking no thought of himself, Umi advised his attendants to- 
eat if they could find food, declaring that he required nothing,, 
and then threw himself under the shade of a tree for a few min- 
utes of much-needed rest. A cool breeze fanned his heated 
face, on which the beard had as yet grown but lightly, and his 
heavy eyelids closed, dropping him gently into the land of shad- 



UMI, THE PEASANT PRI.XCE OF HA WAIL 309 

ows, where he bathed in cool waters and partook of food that 
was delicious — more delicious, it seemed, because it was served 
by Kulamea. 

Something awoke him — he scarcely knew what — and his eyes 
caught the form of a woman as it vanished behind the tree un- 
der which he was lying. He smiled, and, partially rising, discov- 
ered on the ground beside him a calabash of poi, reduced with 
water to the consistency of thick gruel. His mouth and throat 
were parched, and, without stopping to learn who had provided 
it, he raised the vessel to his lips and drained it to the bottom. 
It was a goodly draught, and refreshed him greatly. 

Holding the empty calabash in his hand, he began to exam- 
ine it, at first carelessly, and then with greater interest, for it was 
not a common vessel. Nor was it the first time that he had 
seen it. It was the calabash he had carved with images of birds 
and flowers for Kulamea before he went to Waipio to become 
the son of a king. 

He beckoned to Maukaleoleo, who was leaning against a tree 
a few paces distant, with his head among the branches. The 
giant smiled as he approached, as if divining the question Umi 
was about to ask. 

" Did you see the person who left this calabash ? " inquired 
Umi, exhibiting the vessel. 

" I saw her," replied the giant. 

" Then it was left by a woman ? " 

" By a woman." 

" Did you observe her ? " 

"As closely as I ever observe any woman." 

" What was her appearance ? " 

"Ordinary men would describe her, I presume, as being 
young, graceful and attractive." 

" And you ? " 

" I would call her a plaything, as I would any other woman 
whose head did not touch my beard." 

" True," said Umi, smiling as his fancy pictured a becoming 
mate for the giant ; " you can know but little of women. But 
would you recognize the plaything who left this calabash, were 
you to see her again ? " 

The giant intimated that he would probably recognize her. 

" Then seek among the women of the (^mp, and, if found. 



3IO THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

say to her for Umi that if she prizes the calabash he will return 
it to her, if she will claim it after the sun sets to-day and show 
that she is the rightful owner." 

Maukaleoleo bowed and departed on his errand, and Umi 
hung the calabash at his girdle. 

Another advance was ordered, and in an hour or less the lit- 
tle army lay hidden along the brow of the ragged hills overlook- 
ing the valley of Waipio on the south and east and extending to 
the sea. A fleet messenger was despatched over the hills to a 
waterfall, the sound of which could be heard dropping into the 
valley from a great height in an unbroken cataract. He re- 
turned, bringing with him a strangely-marked piece of kapa 
which he had found suspended from a limb near the verge of the 
fall. 

It was the final signal of Nunu, and implied that the king's 
attendants had been sent to the mountains and sea-shore, and 
the palace was defenceless. Preparations were made for an im- 
mediate descent into the valley. As the paths leading down were 
tortuous and narrow, the warriors were ordered to break ranks 
and make the descent as rapidly and as best they could, and 
promptly re-form on reaching the valley. 

The word was given, and the advance began. First the sum- 
mit bristled with spears, then down the hillsides swept a swarm 
of armed men. In their rapid descent they seemed to be hope- 
lessly scattered, but they re-formed on reaching the valley, and in 
good order advanced toward the little stream, across which was 
the royal mansion, and not far from it the temple of Paakalani. 

The wildest excitement prevailed in the village. Some seized 
their arms, and others ran toward the hills, but no opposition 
was offered. At the head of the little army marched Umi, him- 
self almost a giant, and by his side the mighty Maukaleoleo, 
naked but for the maro about his loins, and bearing a ponderous 
spear, the ivory point of which could be seen above the tree-tops. 

Plunging into and crossing the stream, detachments were de- 
spatched at a running pace to surround the royal enclosure and 
cut off all escape, especially to the puhoiiui, while with the main 
force Umi advanced to the great gate of the outer wall, which 
had been hastily closed and fastened, and demanded admission. 
No reply being made, although a confusion of voices could be 
heard from within^ Umi was about to order up a force to beat 



UMI, THE PEASANT PRINCE OE HAWAII. 311 

down the gate when Maukaleoleo leaned his spear against the 
wall, and, laying hold of a rock which no two other men could 
lift, hurled it against the gate, and it was torn from its fastenings 
as if struck by a missile from Kilauea. He then seized the 
broken obstruction and flung it from the entrance as if it had 
been a screen of matting, and Umi and his followers poured into 
the enclosure. Driving before them a score or two of hastily- 
armed attendants of the king, they raised a wild battle-shout and 
rushed toward the palace. 

So secret had been the movement of the insurgents, and so 
rapid was their advance after reaching the valley, that Hakau was 
not made aware of their presence until they began to cross the 
stream near the royal mansion. The first information bewildered 
him. Recovering, he ordered the gates to be closed and barred, 
and every one to arm within the grounds. A messenger was sent 
to mount the walls and report the probable number of the assail- 
ants ; but the most of them were in the stream at the moment of 
observation, and the king was relieved with the assurance that 
the force did not mimber more than one or two hundred. 

" Then we can beat them off until assistance comes," said 
Hakau, confidently. " Hold the gates with your lives ! " he 
shouted ; then, hastily entering the mua, he took from the ipu 
in which it was deposited the Kiha-pic, the sacred war-trumpet of 
the Hawaiian kings, and sprang to the front of the palace. He 
placed the shell to his lips to sound a blast of alarm, which with 
the breath of Liloa was wont to swell throughout a radius of ten 
or twelve miles. Filling his lungs for a mighty effort, which he 
doubted not would bring to his assistance the villagers and 
feather-hunters despatched to the hills, he wound a blast through 
the shell. But no such voice ever issued before from the mys- 
terious chambers of the Kiha-pu. Instead of a note of alarm 
swelling over the hills in wild and warlike cadence, they gave 
forth a dreadful discord of torture-wrung screams and groans, 
horrifying all within the walls, but scarcely audible beyond them. 

Hakau dropped the shell to the earth as if his lips had been 
burned with its kiss, and with a feeling of desperation seized a 
javelin and grimly awaited the onset at the gate. His suspense 
was brief. The gate went down with a crash ; and when he saw 
his handful of defenders retire before the incoming flood of war- 
riors led by Umi, Hakau retreated to the mua with three or four 



312 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

of his attendants, where he resolved to defend himself to the 
death. 

The door of the miia was scarcely barred before Umi reached 
it. A hundred warriors pressed forward, but he waved them 
back. He looked at Maukaleoleo, and the next moment the 
door was a mass of splinters. Umi resolutely stepped within, 
Kaoleioku, the warrior-priest, at his side. As he entered, with 
a hiss Hakau made a thrust at him with his javelin. Umi caught 
and wrenched the weapon from his grasp, and was about to 
strike when Kaoleioku stayed every uplifted hand by exclaim- 
ing : 

" Hold ! Let this be a sacrifice, and not a murder ! In the 
name of the gods I slay him ! " 

With these words the high-priest drove his ihe through the 
heart of Hakau, and he fell dying at the feet of Umi. 

Hakau strove to speak, but his words were bitter and choked 
him. 

"Bear him with respect to a couch," said Umi. " He is the 
son of a king, and so let him die." 

His orders were obeyed, and Hakau, the tyrant king of Ha- 
waii, breathed his last as Umi turned and left the miia. 

The palace was now in the possession of Umi, with its gods, 
its sacred emblems, its royal regalia and all the paraphernalia of 
supreme authority ; but he appreciated that much remained to be 
done, and that, too, without delay. The feather-hunters would 
soon return from the hills and sea-shore ; but they could be dealt 
with in detail as they arrived in small parties, and were, therefore, 
not greatly to be feared. The distant chiefs summoned by the 
lunapais of the dead king were the principal cause of anxiety. 
Some time during the next day they would begin to arrive with 
their quotas of warriors, and Umi was not quite confident that 
they would accept the situation peacefully. 

To be prepared for any emergency, he ordered his entire force 
to quarters within the palace grounds, despatched parties to pro- 
cure supplies of food, received the allegiance of the attendants 
and guards found in and around the royal mansion, and sent out 
heralds to proclaim the death of Hakau by the will of the gods, 
and the assumption of sovereign authority by Umi, the son of 
Liloa. 

The Kiha-pu was discovered near the door, where it had been 



UMI, THE PEASANT PRINCE OF HAWAII. 313 

dropped by Hakau. No one dared to touch it. It was recog- 
nized by a chief who had seen it before, and who guarded it until 
Umi appeared. The chief pointed to the sacred shell, and with 
an exclamation of joy Umi raised it to his lips and sounded a 
vigorous blast, which swept over the valleys and echoed through 
the hills with its old-time voice of thunder. 

All within the walls were startled. Kaoleioku approached, and 
Umi raised the shell and repeated the sonorous blast. " It is not 
the breath of Urni," said the priest, impressively ; " it is the voice 
of the gods proclaiming their approval of the work of this day ! " 

The body of Hakau was removed to a small structure within 
the enclosure, where it was given in charge of his wife and mother, 
Kukukalani and Pinea, and their attendants, to be prepared for 
burial And Kapukini, the sister of Hakau and half-sister of 
Umi, mourned with them ; but her grief was not great, for Hakau 
had been unkind even to her. 

Before nightfall the feather-hunters began to come in ; but the 
situation was made known to them on reaching the valley, and 
such of them as were not deterred by fear proceeded to the palace 
and gave their adherence to Umi, thus relieving him of some 
slight cause of apprehension, and considerably augmenting the 
strength of his li-ttle army. 

Umi's promise to his warriors was made good, for that night 
they ate their meat in peace within the palace-walls at Waipio. 
All needed rest, but not one of them more than Umi himself. 
The night was dark, but the air was cool without, and after his 
evening meal Umi strolled out and threw himself down on a fold 
of kapa under the palms in front of the mansion. He was soon 
joined by Kaoleioku, his trusty lieutenants Omaukamau and Pii- 
maiwaa, and several chiefs of distinction. 

The events of the day were being discussed, and the possi- 
bilities of the morrow, when Maukaleoleo loomed up in the dark- 
ness like the shadow of a palm, and requested permission to ap- 
proach the group. It was granted, of course, for the giant had 
proven himself to be one of the stanchest and most valuable of 
Umi's friends. But he was not alone. Behind him, and almost 
hidden by his burly form, walked Kulamea. She wore a pau of 
five folds, and over her shoulders a light kihei oi ornamented kapa. 
Her black hair fell below her waist, and a woven band of blossoms 
encircled her head. 



314 T'HE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

"By your instruction," said the giant, bowing before Umi, "I 
sought out the woman who left with you beyond the hills to- 
day a curiously-carved calabash, and acquainted her with your 
wish that she should come to you and claim it. But she feared to 
do so, because you are now the king of Hawaii." 

" Were I the king of the eight Hawaiian seas she should not 
fear," replied Umi. " Seek and say to her — " 

" Let Umi speak the words himself," interrupted the giant ; 
saying which, he advanced a few paces into a better light, and,, 
stepping aside, Kulamea stood revealed before the group. 

" Kulamea ! " exclaimed Umi, rising. 

" Kulamea ! " repeated Omaukamau, in astonishment, for he 
did not know before that his sister was in Waipio. " What evil 
spirit prompted you to venture here at such a time as this ? " 

" Do not chide her, Omaukamau," said Umi, placing his hand 
tenderly upon the shoulder of the fair playmate of his youth.. 
" The triumph of to-day is as much to her as it is to her brave 
brother, and no one could be more welcome." 

Omaukamau was silent, and Kulamea sank on her knees be- 
fore Umi. He raised her to her feet and kissed her ; then, taking 
from his girdle and placing "in her hands the calabash she had 
come to claim, he said : 

" .In the presence of all here Umi returns this calabash to Ku- 
lamea, his wife ! " Then, leading her to her brother, he con- 
tinued : " Give her attendants, and see that she is provided with 
all else that befits her station." Omaukamau kissed his sister,, 
and led her into the mansion. 

During this scene Maukaleoleo stood looking down upon the 
group with folded arms and an amused expression upon his face. 

" Perhaps I should have asked your consent," said Umi, 
smiling and looking up into the face of the giant. 

"Umi is now in a condition to take from his subjects without 
asking," pertinently replied the monster ; "but in this instance 
there seems to be no other claimant, and the title is unques- 
tioned." 

"And have I your approval as well?" inquired Umi, more 
seriously, addressing Kaoleioku. 

" Better than mine," replied the priest, warmly: "you have the 
approval of the gods ; for in fulfilling your pledge to a simple 
and confiding woman you have kept faith with them." 



UMI, THE PEASANT PRINCE OF HAWAII. 315 

The rest of the prominent events leading to, and connected 
with, the accession of Umi to the moiship of Hawaii, will be 
very briefly referred to. As the district chiefs and their warriors 
arrived at Waipio in response to the call of the dead king, they 
accepted the changed conditions without protest, and promptly 
tendered their allegiance to Umi. 

The second day after his death Hakau's remains were quiet- 
ly and without display taken to the hills and entombed, and the 
day following Umi was publicly anointed king of Hawaii in the 
presence of nearly ten thousand warriors. The games and festi- 
vities of the occasion continued for ten days. 

The Akuapaao was placed in the temple of Paakalani, and at 
the death of the venerable Laeanui, which occurred shortly af- 
ter, Kaoleioku, who was of the family of Paao, was created high- 
priest. 

Omaukamau and Piimaiwaa became the confidential ad 
visers of Umi, as well as his favorite military captains, and 
Maukaleoleo served in his many campaigns, his strength and 
prowess furnishing subjects for numerous strange stories still 
living in Hawaiian tradition. 



LONO AND KaIKILANI, 



CHARACTERS. 

Keawenui, king of Hawaii. 

Kanaloa-kuaana, 1 

LONOIKAMAKAHIKI and 1- sons of Keawenui by different mothers. 

PuPUAKhA, j 

KuKAiLANi, nephew of ICeawenui. 
Kaikilani, daughter of Kukailani. 
Kakuhihewa, king of Oahu. 
Lanahuimihaku, a chief of Oahu. 
Ohaikawiliula, a chiefess of Kauai. 
Heakekoa, a man of Molokai. 
Kaikinane, a woman of Molokai. 



LONO AND KAIKILANI. 

A ROMANTIC EPISODE IN THE ROYAL ANNALS. 
I. 

WHAT a hustling and barbaric little world in themselves 
were the eight habitable islands of the Hawaiian archi- 
pelago before the white man came to rouse the simple but war- 
like islanders from the dream they had for centuries been living ! 
Up to that time their national life had been a long romance, 
abundant in strife and deeds of chivalry, and scarcely less boun- 
tiful in episodes of love, friendship and self-sacrifice. Situated 
in mid-ocean, their knowledge of the great world, of which their 
island dots on the bosom of the Pacific formed but an infinitesi- 
Hj.al portion, did not reach beyond a misty Kahiki, from which 
their fathers came some centuries before, and the bare names of 
other lands marking the migratory course of their ancestors 
thither. 

The Hawaiians were barbarous, certainly, since they slew 
their prisoners of war, and to their gods made sacrifice of their 
enemies ; since no tie of consanguinity save that of mother and 
son was a bar to wedlock ; since murder was scarcely a crime, 
and the will of the alii-nui on every island was the supreme law ; 
since the masses were in physical bondage to their chiefs and in 
mental slavery to the priesthood. Yet, with all this, they were 
a brave, hospitable and unselfish people. The kings of the 
islands of Hawaii, Maui, Oahu and Kauai were in almost con- 
tinual warfare with each other until brought under one govern- 
ment by Kamehameha I.; but the fear of foreign invasion never 
disturbed them, and the people, who feared their gods, rever- 
enced their rulers and possessed an easy and unfailing means of 
sustenance and personal comfort, were content with a condition 
which had been theirs for generations and was hopeless of ameli- 
oration ; for the high chiefs in authority claimed a lineage dis- 
tinct from that of the masses, and between them frowned a gulf 
socially and politically impassable. 



320 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

The Hawaiians were never cannibals. The most conspicu- 
ous of their barbarisms was the sacrifice of human beings to their 
gods ; but did not the temples of early Gaul and Saxon flow with 
the blood of men ? and did not one of the fathers of Israel 
sharpen his knife to slay the body of his son upon the altar of 
the God of Abraham ? They knew but little of the arts as 
we know them now, and the useful and precious metals were 
all unknown to them ; yet they made highways over the preci- 
pices, reared massive walls of stone around their temples, car- 
ried effective weapons into battle, and constructed capacious 
single and double canoes and barges, which they navigated 
by the light of the stars. They had no language either of 
letters or symbolism, but so accurately were their legends pre- 
served and transmitted that the great chiefs were able to trace 
their ancestry back, generation by generation, to something 
like a kinship with the children of Jacob, and even beyond in 
the same manner to Noah, and thence to Adam. What won- 
der, then, that under their old kings the islands of Hawaii 
should have been the home of romance, and that the south 
wind should have sighed in numbers through the caves of 
Kona? 

And now, borne by the soft breath of the tropics, let us be 
wafted to the island of Hawaii, and backward over a misty 
bridge of historic meles to the reign of Kealiioko'loa, a son of 
Umi and grandson of the famed Liloa. It was during his brief 
reign — extending, perhaps, from 1520 to 1530 — that for a second 
time a white face was seen by the Hawaiians. A Spanish vessel 
from the Moluccas was driven upon the reefs of Keei, in the dis- 
trict of Kona, and completely destroyed. But two persons were 
saved from the wreck — the captain and his sister. They were 
first thought to be gods by the simple islanders ; but as their 
first request was for food, which they ate with avidity, and their 
next for rest, which seemed to be as necessary to them as to other 
mortals, they were soon relieved of their celestial attributes and 
conducted to the king, who received them graciously and took 
them under his protection. The captain — named by the natives 
Kukarialoa — wedded a dusky maiden of good family, and the 
sister became the wife of a chief in whose veins ran royal blood. 

On the death of Kealiiokoloa his younger brother, Keawenui, 
assumed the sceptre in defiance of the right of Kukailani, his 



LONO AND KAIKILANI. 32 I 

nephew and son of the dead king, who was too young to assert 
his authority. This he was the better enabled to do in conse- 
quence of the sudden death of the king, possibly by poison, be- 
fore his successor had been formally named. Keawenui's usur- 
pation, however, was resisted by the leading chiefs of the island, 
who refused to recognize his authority and rose in arms against 
laim. But he inherited something of the martial prowess of his 
father, Umi, and, meeting the revolted chiefs before they had 
time to properly organize their forces, destroyed them in detail, 
and thereafter reigned in peace. Nor could it well have been 
•otherwise, for the bones of the rebellious chiefs of Kohala, Ha- 
makua, Hilo, Puna, Kau and Kona were among the trophies of 
his household, and Kukailani, lacking ambition, was content with 
the lot of idleness and luxury which the crafty uncle placed at 
his command. 

And thus, while Keawenui continued in the inoiship of Ha- 
waii, Kukailani, the rightful ruler, grew to manhood around the 
court of his uncle. In due time the prince married, and among 
the children born to him was Kaikilani, the heroine of this little 
story. At the age of fifteen she was the most lovely of the 
maidens of Hawaii. Her face was fairer than any other in Hilo, 
to which place Keawenui had removed his court ; and that is 
saying much, for the king was noted for his gallantries, and 
the handsomest women in the kingdom were among his retainers. 
If her complexion was a shade lighter than that of others, it was 
because of the Castilian blood that had come to her through her 
grandmother, the sister of Kukanaloa, and brighter eyes than 
hers never peered through the lattices of the Guadalquivir. 

Kaikilani became the wife of the king's eldest son, Kanaloa- 
kuaana, and, in further atonement of the wrong he had done her 
father, on his death-bed Keawenui formally conferred upon her 
the 77ioiship of Hawaii. Among the other sons left by Keawenui 
at his death was Lono. His full name was Lonoikamakahiki. 
His mother was Haokalani, in whose veins ran the best blood 
of Oahu. 

Early in life Lono exhibited remarkable intelligence, and as 
he grew to manhood, after the death of his father, in athletic and 
-warlike exercises and other manly accomplishments he had not 
a peer in all Hawaii. So greatly was he admired by the people, 
and so manifestly was he born to rule, that his brother, the hus- 



322 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

band and adviser of the queen, recommended that he be ele- 
vated to the moiship, in equal power and dignity with Kaikilani. 

What followed could have occurred only in Hawaii. A day 
was appointed for a public trial of Lono's abilities before the 
assembled chiefs of the kingdom. Although but twenty-three 
years of age, his knowledge of warfare, of government, of the 
unwritten laws of the island and the prerogatives of the tabu 
was found to be complete ; and Kawaamaukele, the venerable 
high-priest of Hilo, whose white hairs swept his knees, and who 
had foretold Lono's future when a boy, bore testimony to his 
thorough mastery of the legendary annals of the people and his 
zeal in the worship of the gods. 

So much for his mental acquirements. To test his physical 
accomplishments the chiefs most noted for their skill, strength 
and endurance were summoned from all parts of the kingdom. 
It was a tournament in which one man threw down the glove to 
every chief in Hawaii. The various contests continued for ten 
consecutive days, in the presence of thousands of people, and 
between the many trials of strength and skill were interspersed 
feasting, music and dancing. The scene was brilliant. More 
than a hundred distinguished chiefs, in yellow mantles and hel- 
mets, presented themselves to test the prowess of Lono in 
exercises in which they individually excelled. But the mighty 
grandson of Umi vanquished them all. He outran the fleetest, 
as well on the plain as in bringing a ball of snow from the top 
of Mauna Kea. On a level he leaped the length of two long 
war-spears, and in tdi-maita, holua and other athletic games he 
found no rival; In a canoe contest he distanced twelve compet- 
itors, and then plunged into the sea with a pahoa in his hand, 
and slew and brought to the surface the body of a large shark. 
He caught in his hands twenty spears hurled at him in rapid suc- 
cession by as many strong arms, and in the rnokii-moku, or wrest- 
ling contests, he broke the limbs of three of his adversaries. 

Among the witnesses of these contests was the still young 
and comely Kaikilani. It is true that she had frequently met 
the young hero, and regarded him with such favor as she might 
the brother of her husband ; but now, at the end of his victories, 
he appeared to her almost as a god, with whom it would be an 
honor to share the sovereignty of the kingdom ; and when, 
amidst the plaudits of thousands, she threw the royal mamo over 



LONO AND KAIKILANI. 323 

his shoulders with her own hands, and in doing so kissed his 
cheek, her husband saw that she loved Lono better than she had 
ever loved him. " The gods have decreed it," said Kanaloa, in 
sorrow, but with no feeling of bitterness, " and so shall it be ! " 

He consulted with the chiefs and high-priest, and at the con- 
clusion of a feast the same evening, given in honor of Lono, he 
took his brother by the hand and led him to the apartment of 
the queen. As they entered, Kaikilani rose from a soft couch of 
kapa, and waited to hear the purpose of their visit ; for it was 
near the middle of the night, and but a single kukui torch was 
burning in front of the door. The heart of Kanaloa fluttered 
in his throat, but he finally said, with apparent calmness : 

" My good Kaikilani, what I am about to say is in sorrow to 
myself and in affection for you. Of all the sons of our father, 
Lono seems most to have the favor of the gods. Is it strange, 
then, that he should have yours as well ? It is therefore deemed 
best by the gods, the chiefs and myself that you accept Lono as 
your husband, and share with him henceforth the government 
of Hawaii. Is it your will that this be done ? " 

Kaikilani was almost dazed with the abrupt announcement ; 
but she understood its full meaning, and, after gazing for a mo- 
ment into the face of Lon'o and reading no objection there, she 
found the courage to answer : 

" Since it is the will of the gods, it is also mine." 

" So shall it be made known by the heralds," said Kanaloa, 
bowing to hide his grief, and leaving Lono and the queen to- 
gether. 

Thus it was that Lono, of whom tradition relates so many 
romantic stories, became the mot oi Hawaii and the husband of 
the most attractive woman of her time. Queen Kaikilani. 



IL 



Peace and prosperity followed the elevation of Lono to the 
throne of Hawaii. His fame as an able and sagacious ruler soon 
spread to the other islands of the group, and his court as well 
as his person commanded the highest respect of his subjects. 
Weary of inaction, and having no desire to embroil the king- 
dom in a foreign war, he at length concluded to visit some of 



324 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

the neighboring islands with his queen, and particularly Kauai, 
which he had once seen when a boy. 

Leaving the government in charge of his brother Kanaloa, 
Lono embarked on his journey of pleasure with a number of 
large double canoes and a brilliant retinue. He took with him 
poloulous, kahilis and other emblems of state, and the hokeo, or 
large calabash, containing the bones of the six rebellious chiefs 
slain by his royal father at the beginning of his reign. 

The double canoe provided for Kaikilani and her personal 
attendants was fitted out in a manner becoming the rank of its 
royal occupant. It was eighty feet in length, and the two togeth- 
er were seven feet in width. Midway between stem and stern 
a continuous flooring covered both canoes, which was enclosed 
to a height of six feet, thus providing the queen with a room 
seven feet broad and twenty feet in length. The apartment was 
abundantly supplied with cloths and mats of brilliant colors, and 
the walls were decorated with festoons of shells and leis of 
flowers and feathers. In front of the entrance stood two kahilis, 
and behind a kapa screen was a carved image of Ku, surrounded 
by a number of charms and sacred relics. The canoes were 
brightly painted in alternate lines of black and yellow, while 
above their ornamented prows towered the carved and feathered 
forms of two gigantic birds with human heads. Forty oarsmen 
comprised the crew, and sails of mats were ready to lift into 
every favoring breeze. 

The double canoe of the king was smaller and less elabo- 
rately ornamented ; and as it moved out of the harbor of Hilo, 
bearing the royal ensign and followed by the sumptuous barge 
of the queen and the humbler crafts of servants and retainers, 
the shores were lined with people, and hundred in canoes pad- 
dled after them to give them their parting alohas beyond the 
reef. The auguries had not been favorable. So said the high- 
priest, and so had the people whispered to each other. But, 
after preparing for the journey, Lono could not be persuaded to 
relinquish it. It was therefore with misgivings that he was seen 
to depart ; and for many days thereafter sacrifices were offered 
for him in the temples, and a strict tabu was ordered for a period 
of three days, during which time no labor was performed and 
a solemn silence prevailed over all the land embraced in the 
dread edict. Swine were confined, fires were extinguished, 



LONO AND KAIKILANI. 325 

dogs were muzzled, fowls were hidden under calabashes, and 
the priests alone were seen and heard, and they but sparingly. 
Such was the strict tabu for the propitiation of the gods in case 
of emergency or peril, and death was the certain penalty of its 
violation. 

The weather was fair, and the royal party first stopped at 
Lahaina. It had been Lono's purpose to spend a week or more 
at the court of Kamalalawalu, but the moi was absent at the time, 
and the squadron left Maui the next day for Oahu. A fair wind 
wafted the party through Pailolo channel to the western point of 
Molokai. The sky was clear, and Lono began to discern the 
tops of the mountains of eastern Oahu, when one of his nephews 
threw his spear into and wounded a large shark which for some 
time had been slowly moving around the bows of the canoe. In 
an instant the weapon was thrown back with a violence which 
drove the point through the rim of the boat. Blood tinged the 
waves, but the shark disappeared. 

Before Lono could recover from his astonishment a furious 
wind rose from the south and west, and the fleet was driven 
around to the north side of Molokai, and finally succeeded in ef- 
fecting a landing at Kalaupapa. Two of the canoes were de- 
stroyed during the gale, anej the thoughtless young chief who 
cast the spear was washed into the sea and devoured by a school 
of black sharks before assistance could reach him. Landing with 
his party, Lono learned from a priest the cause of the disaster 
that had overtaken him. It was the god Moaalii, who had taken 
his characteristic form of a shark and was guiding the fleet to 
Oahu, that had been wounded by Lono's nephew. 

The weather continued boisterous for some days, and Lono 
and his party became the guests of the chiefs of Kalaupapa. It 
was not a viery inviting spot, and to beguile the time Lono and 
Kaikilani amused themselves with the game of konane, played 
upon a checkered board and closely resembling the game of 
draughts. One day, when thus occupied in the shade of a palm 
near the foot of an abrupt hill, Lono heard a voice above them. 
He gave but little attention to it until the name of Kaikilani was 
pronounced. He listened without raising his head, and soon 
heard the voice repeat : 

" Ho, Kaikilani ! Your lover, Heakekoa, is waiting for you ! " 

Lono looked up, but could see no one above them. He in- 



326 THE LEGEXDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

quired the meaning of such words addressed to the wife of the 77101 
of Hawaii ; but the queen, seemingly confused, was either unable 
or unwilling to offer any explanation. Enraged at what he hasti- 
ly conceived to be an evidence of her infidelity, Lono seized the 
ko7ia7ie board and struck her senseless and bleeding to the earth. 
Without waiting to learn the result of his barbarous blow, Lono 
strode to the beach, and, ordering his canoe launched, set sail at 
once for Oahu, without leaving any orders for the remainder of 
the fleet. 

As he shoved from the shore Kaikilani approached, and, hold- 
ing out her blood-stained hands, pitifully implored him to remain 
or take her with him ; but he waved her back in anger and reso- 
lutely put out to sea. She watched the canoe of her impetuous 
husband until it became a speck in the distance, and then with a 
despairing moan sank senseless upon the sands. 

Kaikilani was tenderly borne to her domicile by her attend- 
ants, and for nine days struggled with a fever which threatened 
her life. During all that time she tasted neither fish nor poi, but 
in her delirium appealed continually to Lono, declaring that no 
one had called to her from the cliffs. On the tenth day her mind 
was clear and she partook of food, and then on her hands and 
knees a young woman crawled to the side of her kapa-//we, and, 
having permission to speak, said : 

" O queen, I am the innocent cause of your misery, and my 
heart breaks for you. I am the daughter of the chief Keeokane, 
and he has sent me to you. Heakekoa loves me, and it was my 
name, Kaikinane, that he called from the cliffs, and not yours. 
It is better that confusion should come to me than shame and 
grief to the queen of Hawaii." 

Kaikilani admonished her attendants to remember the words 
of the girl, that they might be able, if necessary, to repeat them 
to Lono, and then dismissed her with presents and a promise to 
speak kindly of her to her father, who was greatly annoyed at the 
distress which the indiscretion of his daughter had brought to 
their distinguished guest. 

As soon as she had sufficiently recovered, Kaikilani, not know- 
ing what had become of her husband, sorrowfully returned to Ha- 
waii in the hope of finding him there and explaining away the 
cause of his anger. But the news of Lono's assault upon her and 
his sudden departure from Molokai had preceded her, probably 



LONO AND KAIKILANI. 327 

through the return of some of the canoes of the fleet, and when 
she arrived at Kohala she found the kingdom in a state of rebel- 
lion. 

With the avowed intent of slaying Lono, should he return to 
Hawaii, Kanaloa had assumed the regency, supported by the 
principal chiefs of the island, the relatives of the queen, and all 
the brothers of Lono with the exception of Pupuakea, a stalwart 
and warlike son of Keawenui by an humble mother unnamed in 
the royal annals, and who had large possessions in the district of 
Kau. 

But Kaikilani still loved her hot-headed but instinctively gen- 
erous husband, and refused to give countenance to the revolt 
raised in her behalf. She therefore hastily left Kohala at night, 
and, so saiHng as to escape the observation of the rebels, sudden- 
ly appeared off the coast of Kau and placed herself in communi- 
cation with Pupuakea, the only chief of note that still adhered to 
the fortunes of Lono. He had succeeded in rallying to the sup- 
port of his cause a very considerable force, but he knew that it 
would avail him little against the united armies of the opposition, 
and after a full consideration of the situation it was decided that 
Pupuakea should remain on the defensive until the return of 
Lono, of whom Kaikilani resolved to go at once in search. 

With this understanding Kaikilani, inspired by the hope of 
winning back her husband's love, after a few preparations started 
on her errand ; but not before she had made sacrifices to the gods 
and implored their assistance, and Pupuakea brought word to her 
from the temple that the auguries of her journey showed a line of 
dark clouds ending in sunshine. But what cared she for clouds, 
if the sunshine of Lono's presence was to come at last ? But 
where was Lono? Perhaps in the bottom of the sea; but, if 
alive, she resolved to find him, even though the search took her 
through all the group to the barren rocks of Kaula. 

Rounding the capes of Kau and sailing nearly northward, 
Kaikilani first stopped at Lahaina ; but a week spent there con- 
vinced her that Lono was not on the island of Maui. The vwi 
treated her with great respect and kindness, and offered to assist 
in the search for her husband on the other islands ; but she de- 
clined his services, and next visited Lanai. Causing a thorough 
search to be made of that island, and despatching a party to the 
windy wastes of Kahoolawe, the queen proceeded to Molokai, to 



328 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

assure herself that Lono had not returned to Kalaupapa, and then 
set sail for Oahu. She first landed at Waikiki, on that island, but, 
learning that the king had established his court at Kailua, de- 
parted for that place the next day, and reached it without diffi- 
culty, for the captain of her crew was the distinguished old navi- 
gator, Kukupea, who for a wager, in the reign of Keawenui, had 
made the direct passage in a canoe between the Hawaiian bay of 
Kealakeakua and the island of Niihau without sighting inter- 
mediate land. 

III. 

Leaving Kaikilani entering the bay of Kailua, it will be in 
order to briefly refer to the adventures of Lono after his sudden 
departure from Kalaupapa. Half-crazed at what had occurred, 
to divert his thoughts from his cruelty he seized a paddle, and 
vigorously used it hour after hour until he was compelled to cease 
through exhaustion. The wind was fair, but, inspired by his 
example, twenty others plied the paddle ceaselessly in turns of 
ten, and in a few hours the royal canoe was hauled up on the 
beach of Kailua, on the northwestern coast of Oahu, where, as 
before stated, Kakuhihewa, the moi of the island, had tempo- 
rarily established his court. 

As Lono approached the shore his state attracted attention. 
A chief and priest, who had at one time been in the service of 
Lono's father, recognized the sail and insignia of the craft, and 
informed the king that it must be that some one nearly connected 
with the royal family of Hawaii had come to visit him. This se- 
cured to Lono a cordial and royal welcome. Houses were set apart 
for his accommodation, and food in abundance was provided for 
him and his attendants. Although he scrupulously concealed his 
name and rank, and in that respect enjoined the closest secrecy 
upon his attendants under penalty of death, his commanding 
presence and personal equipment rendered it apparent that he 
was either one of the sons of Keawenui or a chief of the highest 
rank below the throne. ^, 

Pleading fatigue, and courteously desiring to be left to him- 
self until the day following, Lono partook of his evening meal, 
sent from the table of the king, alone and in silence, and at an 
early hour retired to rest. But the heat was oppressive, and 



LONO AND KAIKILANI. 329 

thoughts of Kaikilani disturbed, his slumbers, and near midnight 
he strolled down to his canoe on the beach to catch the cool 
breeze of the sea. While there another double canoe arrived 
from Kauai, having on board a high chiefess, who was on her 
way to Hawaii and had touched at Kailua for fresh water. 

To pass the time Lono engaged in conversation with the fair 
stranger, and so interested her that she repeated to him twice a 
new t7jele that had just been composed in honor of her name — 
Ohaikawiliula — and which was known only to a few of the high- 
est chiefs of Kauai. Portions of the celebrated chant are still 
retained by old Hawaiians. 

The fiiele diverted his mind from bitter thoughts, and when he 
returned to his couch he enjoyed a refreshing sleep. At daylight 
the next morning the king, without disturbing his royal guest, 
repaired to the sea-shore for his customary bath just as the 
Kauai chiefess was preparing to depart. Making himself known 
to her, she recited to him until he was able to repeat the new 
mele, and then made sail for Hawaii. As she had arrived after 
midnight, and the 7nele was new, the king was pleased at the 
thought of being able to surprise Lono by reciting it to him ; but 
his amazement was great and his discomfiture complete when, on 
meeting his guest after breakfast and bantering him to repeat the 
latest Kauaian mele, Lono recited in full the poem he had so 
quickly and correctly committed to memory the night before. 
This incident is related by tradition in evidence of Lono's mental 
capacity. 

Notwithstanding the mystery which surrounded him at the 
court of Oahu, Lono soon became a great favorite there. No one 
could throw a spear so far or so accurately, and in all games and 
exercises of strength or skill he found no equal. He was gene- 
rous and fearless, and in his pastimes reckless of his life. Al- 
though he was beset with their smiles and blandishments, women 
seemed to have no charm for him, and he politely but firmly de- 
clined to avail himself of that feature of early Hawaiian hospi- 
tality which held a host to be remiss in courtesy if he failed 
to provide his guest with female companionship. He preferred 
the sturdier contests of men, and introduced to the Oahuans a 
number of new games of skill and muscle. 

While the most of the chiefs were generous admirers of the 
accomplishments of their unknown visitor, a few were jealous of 



330 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

his popularity, among them the grand counselor of the king, 
Lanahuimihaku, who on one occasion sneeringly referred to him 
as " a nameless chief." To this taunt Lono, towering above his 
traducer with a menace of death in his face, replied that he would 
flay him alive if he ever met him beyond the protection of his 
king ; and then he brought from his canoe the great calabash of 
bones, and, exhibiting the trophies of his father's prowess, chanted 
the names of the slain. This apprised them all that he was in- 
deed a son of Keawenui, but which one they did not know. 

But Lono's stay in Kailua was drawing to a close, for one day, 
while he was playing konane with the king within the enclosure of 
the palace grounds, Kaikilani's canoe was being drawn up on the 
beach below. She saw, to her great joy, the canoe of her hus- 
band, and ascertained where he might be found. Proceeding 
alone toward the royal mansion, with a fluttering heart she ap- 
proached the enclosure, and through an opening in the wall dis- 
cerned the stalwart form of Lono. Stepping aside to avoid 
his gaze, she began to chant his niele inoa — the song of his own 
name. He was startled at hearing his name mentioned in a place 
where he supposed it to be unknown. He raised his head and 
listened, and, as the words of the 7nele floated to him, he recog- 
nized the voice of Kaikilani. Rising to his feet, with dignity he 
now addressed the king : 

" My royal brother, disguise is no longer necessary or fitting. 
I am Lonoikamakahiki, son of Keawenui and moi of Hawaii, and 
the gods have sent to me Kaikilani, my wife. It is her voice that 
we now hear." 

Then, turning and approaching the wall behind which Kaiki- 
lani was standing, Lono began to chant her name, coupled with 
words of tenderness and reconciliation; then, springing over the 
obstruction, he clasped his faithful wife in his arms, and the past 
was forgiven and forgotten. 

The rank of his guests now being known, Kakuhihewa was 
anxious to give them a befitting recognition ; but, learning of the 
revolt in Hawaii and the peril of Pupuakea, Lono embarked for 
his kingdom at once. Reaching and passing Kohala, where he 
learned the rebels were in force, he landed at Kealakeakua, and 
immediately despatched a messenger to Pupuakea, in Kau, with 
information of his arrival in Puna. The brother responded 
promptly, and, leading his forces over a mountain path to avoid 



LONO AND KAIKILANI. 2>l^ 

the coast villages, joined Lono at Puuanahulu. Meantime, Lono's 
name had brought thousands to his standard, and on the arrival 
of Pupuakea he boldly attacked and defeated the insurgents 
at Wailea. They were followed and again defeated at Kaunooa. 

Reinforcements reaching the rebels from Kohala, two other 
battles were fought in rapid succession, both resulting in their 
defeat. In these engagements two of Lono's brothers were slain, 
and the body of one of them was offered as a sacrifice at the 
heiau of Puukohola. 

The last of the rebels were defeated at Pololu, and the island 
returned to its allegiance to Lono and Kaikilani. Kanaloa-kuaa- 
na, who originated the revolt, also submitted, and was forgiven 
and restored to favor through the intercession of the queen. 

The legends relate many subsequent romantic adventures of 
Lono ; but he and Kaikilani both lived to good old ages, and 
when they died were succeeded in the sovereignty of Hawaii by 
lineal blood. 



The Adventures of Iwikauikaua. 



CHARACTERS. 

Kaikilani, queen of Hawaii. 
Makakaualii, brother of Kaikilani. 
IwiKAUiKAUA, son of Makakaualii. 
Kanaloa-kuaana and (princes of Hawaii. 
Kanaloa-kakulehu, ) 
Kealiiokalani, daughter of Kaikilani. 
Keakealanikane, son of Kanaloa-kuaana. 
KeaK'^mahana, daughter of Kealiiokalani. 
Kaihikapu, king of southern Oahu. 
Kauakahi. daughter of Kaihikapu. 
Kauhiakama, moi of Maui. 

Kapukini, queen of Maui and sister of Iwikauikaua. 
Mahia, chief of Kahakuloa, Maui. 



THE ADVENTURES OF IWIKAUIKAUA. 

A STORY OF ROYAL KNIGHT-ERRANTRY IN THE SIXTEENTH 
CENTURY. 

I. 

ONE of the most interesting characters distinctly observed 
among the misty forms and dimly outlined events of the 
remaining Hawaiian traditions of the sixteenth century is Iwikaui- 
kaua. In him the knight-errantry of the period found a distin- 
guished exponent and representative, and his deeds add a bold 
tint to the glow of romance and chivalry lighting up the life and 
reign of the great Lono, and lend a lustre to the names and 
events with which they are associated. Of royal lineage, but 
without estates or following beyond his personal attendants, he 
sought his fortune with spear and battle-axe, and in the end 
became the husband of a queen and one of the ancestors of a 
long line of kings. 

As he was the nephew of Queen Kaikilani — whose reign in 
Hawaii, including that of her husband, Lono, embraced, it may 
be presumed, the period between the years a.d. 1565 and 1595 — 
and was a stout friend and supporter of the ruling family, a pro- 
per understanding of the rank, position and aspirations of Iwi- 
kauikaua necessitates a brief reference to the strange political 
events which surrounded his youth and conspired to shape his 
romantic career. 

When Kealiiokoloa, the son of Umi, suddenly died, in about 
A.D. 1535, after a reign of perhaps not more than ten years, he 
left as his heir a young son named Kukailani. His right to the 
throne was unquestioned, but, as he had not been formally de- 
signated by his father as his successor, Keawenui, the younger 
brother of the dead king, assumed the sceptre, and maintained 
his claim to it by meeting in battle and slaying the six principal 
chiefs of the island who rebelled against the usurpation. 



336 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

Kukailani seems to have possessed but little force or spirit, 
and was content during his life with such maintenance as his 
uncle was willing to provide. In due time he married, and be- 
came the father of Kaikilani and Makakaualii. The former 
became the wife of Kanaloa-kuaana, the eldest son of Keawenui, 
and subsequently the wife of his brother Lono, as related in the 
legend of " Lono and Kaikilani" As if desirous of atoning for 
the injustice done to his nephew, Kukailani, on his death-bed 
Keawenui named as his successor Kaikilani, daughter of the 
deposed prince, and wife of Kanaloa-kuaana, his own son. Why 
Keawenui restored the sceptre to his brother's family through 
Kaikilani instead of her brother, Makakaualii, finds ready expla- 
nation in the fact that Kaikilani was the wife of his eldest son, 
through which union both families would thereafter share in the 
sovereignty. 

Makakaualii, whose claims to the moiship were thus over- 
looked or disregarded by Keawenui, was the father of our hero, 
Iwikauikaua. But, if wrong was done in the matter, it was never 
openly resented by either father or son, and Iwikauikaua always 
remained the steadfast friend of his royal aunt, Kaikilani. 

The position of Kukailani, on the death of his father, was 
such as could have been patiently borne only by one entirely 
destitute of ambition. Custom would have accorded him ample 
estates and a following consistent with his rank ; but his crafty 
uncle did not deem it prudent to tempt him to rebeUion by 
according him even the powers of a district chief. It was safer 
for him to remain at court, living upon the bounty and under 
the watchful eye of Keawenui. He was doubtless a high officer 
of the royal household, retaining the tabus and meles of his 
family, and receiving the respect due to his rank ; but no lands 
were set apart for him, and he had no retainers beyond his per- 
sonal attendants. 

But Kukailani seemed to be content with his situation, and 
so utterly indifferent to the rights of his family that it does not 
appear that he ever demanded a more befitting recognition of 
the claims of the children born to him. Hence, like their father, 
Makakaualii and Kaikilani were compelled to live upon the 
bounty of the king until the latter was chosen to the succession. 

And this was also the inheritance of Iwikauikaua, the son of 
Makakaualii. He was a landless chief of roval blood, and cir- 



THE ADVENTURES OF IWIKAUIKAUA. ■^^'J 

cumstances indicate that he was quite a youth when Keawenui 
died and Kaikilani assumed the sceptre. He grew to manhood 
around the court of his royal aunt, and was among the many 
who rejoiced when Lono became her husband and, with her, the 
joint ruler of Hawaii. 

In person he was handsome and imposing, and his accom- 
plishments befitted his rank. Through Kaikilani the moiship 
had been restored to the Kealiiokoloa branch of the royal family, 
but the previous usurpation had left him without estates, and less 
near than was his due to the throne, and he chafed under his 
hard fortune and resolved to retrieve it — not by rebellion or 
trespass upon the rights of others, but through the channels of 
bold and legitimate endeavor. When a boy a kau!a told him 
that he would die either a king or the husband of a queen, and 
he never forgot the prophecy. In fact, it seems to have taken 
possession of him and to have become the guiding star of his 
early life. 

Iwikauikaua makes his first appearance as a striking and 
consequential figure of Hawaiian tradition in the midst of the 
revolt of Kanaloa-kuaana and other chiefs of Hawaii against 
Lono. The revolt was organized during the absence of Lono 
and Kaikilani on a friendly visit to the other islands of the 
group, and embraced nearly every prominent chief in the king- 
dom. They had resolved to kill Lono should he return to the 
island, and the conspiracy seemed to be as formidable as time 
and determination could make it. With a single exception, all 
the brothers of Lono were arrayed against him, and his cause 
was considered almost hopeless. 

The rebellion had its origin, avowedly, in a report that Lono 
had in a fit of jealousy killed Kaikilani on the island of Molo- 
kai ; but other motives must have existed, for the return of 
Kaikilani with her husband to Hawaii did not put an end to 
the uprising, but rather stimulated the conspirators in their re- 
solution to wrest the sovereignty of the island from Lono at all 
hazards. 

The only brother of Lono who refused to join in the con- 
spiracy was Pupuakea. He was the sturdy and warlike son of 
Keawenui by a mother whose name is not mentioned by tradi- 
tion, and was endowed with Lands in the district of Kau. Re- 
moving in early manhood to his estates in that district, he sel- 



338 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

dom visited the court and took no part in its bickerings. As 
his mother was doubtless of an humble family, he was not con- 
sidered the equal in rank of the other sons of Keawenui, and 
therefore preferred to reside where he would not be continually 
reminded of his inferiority. When the revolt against Lono was 
organized he was invited by Kanaloa-kuaana to give it his sup- 
port ; but no promises of lands were made to him, as to other 
distinguished chiefs, nor was he deemed to be of sufficient con- 
sequence to entitle him to a voice in the councils of the rebels. 
This slight of Pupuakea led to the defeat and ruin of the con- 
spirators. The chief of whom they thought so little had develop- 
ed into a leader of influence and ability in his distant home, and 
it was around him that was gathered the nucleus of the force 
which in the end gave victory to Lono. 

When Kaikilani returned alone from Molokai, and found the 
kingdom on the verge of revolution, she secretly consulted with 
Pupuakea, as almost the only chief of consequence to be relied 
upon ; and when she next returned with Lono, Pupuakea was at 
the head of a force large enough to overawe the rebels of Kau,, 
but too small to venture beyond that district without support. 

The main rebel army was concentrated in the district of Ko- 
hala, which Lono avoided on his return from Oahu, landing at 
Kealakeakua, on the coast of Kona. It was early in the morning 
when the canoes of Lono, bearing a small party of attendants,, 
were drawn up on the beach. No one was there to oppose him : 
but the rebels were in possession of all the machinery of the 
government, as well as five of the six divisions of the island, 
and the outlook would have been gloomy to any one less reso- 
lute and daring than Lono. He had less than a hundred follow- 
ers, and, taking from his canoe the hokeo, or calabash, containing 
the bones of the six rebellious district chiefs slain by his father, 
placed it within a sanctuary of mats on the beach, and beside it 
raised the royal standard and kahilis. This done, he summoned 
the people to arms, started a courier to Pupuakea, and despatched 
lu7iapais to the neighboring chiefs, commanding them to march 
to his assistance at once. 

But the people were timid. The revolt was not popular, but 
the cause of Lono seemed to be hopeless, and the masses hesi- 
tated. The hesitation was brief, however. Late in the after- 
noon a force of five or six hundred warriors was observed ap- 



THE ADVENTURES OF IWIKAUIKAUA. 339 

proaching from the northward. Lono hastily prepared for the 
best defence possible, and for retreat to his canoes should he be 
unable to hold his ground. Nearer and nearer came the threat- 
ening column. It was finally halted within two hundred paces 
of Lono's position, when from the front rank emerged a tall young 
chief in feather cape and helmet. At the end of his spear was 
displayed a large // leaf as a token of peace. Accompanied by 
two aids bearing weapons similarly bedecked, he boldly strode 
past the lines of Lono and asked for the king. He was conduct- 
ed to his presence, and, observing Kaikilani beside her husband, 
was about to kneel when Lono stepped forward and grasped him 
by the hand, exclaiming : 

" Welcome, Iwikauikaua, for I know you come as a friend ! " 

"Yes, I come as a friend," replied the chief, "and have with 
me a few brave warriors, whose services I now tender." 

" But are you not afraid to be the friend of Lono at such a 
time as this?" inquired the king, glancing admiringly at the bold 
front of the young chief. " The whole island seems to be in arms 
against me." 

Lono knew he was exaggerating the danger, but desired to 
learn the worst. 

" No, not the v/hole island," promptly replied the chief. " Pu- 
puakea will soon join us with three thousand spears or more, and 
it will not be long that Lono will lack warriors." 

"You are right," returned the king, hopefully ; "we will find 
spears and axes enough in the end to clear a way to Kohala." 

Kaikilani joined Lono in thanking her nephew for his timely 
assistance, and Iwikauikaua retired to find quarters for his fol- 
lowers and arouse others to the defence of the king. 

The appearance of the young chief with his few hundreds of 
warriors was indeed most opportune. It inspired the people 
with confidence in the success of Lono, and they began to rally 
to his support in large numbers ; and, observing that the tide 
was turning in his favor, the neighboring chiefs came to -his as- 
sistance with their followers, thus swelling his force within three 
days to as many thousands of warriors of all arms. 

Hastily organizing his little army, Lono boldly pushed on 
toward Kohala, steadily recruiting his ranks as he moved, and at 
Puuanahulu was joined by Pupuakea with nearly three thousand 
additional spears from Kau. Thus enabled to operate on the 



340 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

offensive, he attacked and defeated the rebel army at Wailea, 
and again at Puako, or at some point not far north of that place. 

After the second engagement the rebels retreated northward, 
and, receiving reinforcements from Kohala, made another stand 
at Puupa, where they were again defeated, but through some mis- 
hap Iwikauikaua was taken prisoner. They then fell back to 
Puukohola, near which place a large heiau was maintained at that 
time. There Kanaloa-kakulehu, one of the brothers of Lono, 
resolved to sacrifice the distinguished prisoner. 

Iwikauikaua received the announcement stoically. He was 
conducted to the altar within the heiau. The assistants were in 
readiness to take him beyond the walls for execution, and the 
priests were in attendance to offer the sacrifice in due form to 
Kanaloa-kakulehu's god of war. Ascending the steps of the 
altar, the young chief turned to the high-priest and said : 

" I am ready, but it is not the will of the gods that I should 
be offered." 

" What know you of the will of the gods ? " answered the 
priest, sternly. 

" And what know you," returned the chief, " since you have 
not inquired ? " 

Such questioning was not common at the altar, and for a mo- 
ment the priest was disconcerted. Finally he said : 

" You say it is not the will of the gods. Make it so appear, 
and your life shall be spared ; but if you fail your right eye 
shall see the left in my hand, and you will be slain with torture." 

" So let it be ! " exclaimed the chief ; and, lifting his face up- 
ward, he addressed an audible prayer to Ku, Uli and Kama. 
As he proceeded with the solemn invocation not an unfavorable 
omen appeared. The winds died away and the birds in the 
neighboring trees remained silent. Concluding the prayer, he 
folded his arms and stepped down from the altar. By an unseen 
hand the cords that bound his limbs had been cut, and he ap- 
proached the high-priest and bowed before him. This manifes- 
tation of the will of the gods could not be mistaken, and Iwikaui- 
kaua was conducted to a hut within the heiau, where he was ad- 
vised to remain until he could leave the place in safety. No hos- 
tile hand could be laid upon him within the walls of the temple. 
There he was under the protection of the high-priest, and beyond 
the reach of the highest temporal authority. 



THE ADVENTURES OF IWIKAUIKAUA. 34I 

But Iwikauikaua did not long require the protection of the 
heiau. At daylight the next morning Lono attacked the rebels 
at Puukohola, and after an obstinate battle defeated them, taking 
prisoner his brother Kanaloa-kakulehu, whom he promptly or- 
dered to be sacrificed at the heiau. As he was brought to the al- 
tar for that purpose, his last moments were embittered by the 
farewell which Iwikauikaua waved to him with simulated grief as 
he left the enclosure to join the victorious army. Although Lono 
had directed the sacrifice of his brother in retaliation for the sup- 
posed death of Iwikauikaua, he did not countermand the order, 
as he might have done in time, when he found the latter had 
miraculously escaped. 

Several other battles were fought, in all of which Iwikauikaua 
took a distinguished part, and the island returned to its allegiance 
to Lono and Kaikilani. The services of Papuakea were reward- 
ed with such additional lands of deceased rebel chiefs as he 
chose to accept, and Iwikauikaua was offered possessions either 
in Kona or Hamakua, or a military charge in the royal house- 
hold. But in the end he decided to accept neither. They pre- 
sented to him no opportunity for such advancement as the gods 
had promised, and which now, since their manifestation in his 
favor at Puukohola, seemed to be almost assured to him. 

He had fixed his eye upon his pretty cousin Kealiiokalani, the 
daughter of Kaikilani. She stood close to the throne, and evinc- 
ed a decided partiality for the dashing young chief. The gossip 
of the court was that the princess loved Iwikauikaua and would 
be more than content to become his wife. But royal marriages 
in all ages and in every clime have been less a suggestion of 
hearts than of state considerations ; and so it was in this in- 
stance. Unknown to all but himself, it was the fair face of the 
princess that had prompted him to espouse the cause of Lono 
when it seemed to be almost hopeless, and his services certainly 
entitled him to almost any reward ; but Keakealanikane, the son 
of Kaikilani by her first husband, Kanaloa-kuaana, had been 
named as successor to the tnoisktj), and Kealiiokalani was select- 
ed to become his wife. Such marriages of close kinship were not 
uncommon among the chiefly families of ancient Hawaii, and the 
children born to them were accorded the very highest rank. 

This arrangement for the succession left Iwikauikaua little to 
hope for on Hawaii, and he determined to seek his fortune 



342 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

among the other islands of the group. Tempting inducements 
were held out to him to remain, but he declined them all. To 
the princess alone he whispered that her betrothal to Keakea- 
lanikane had rendered his departure advisable, and she grieved 
that circumstances had decreed their separation. Ambition 
doubtless first attracted him to his fair cousin ; but her nature 
was gentle and loving, and he finally regarded her with a sincere 
and romantic attachment, which she seems to have fully recipro- 
cated. 

II. 

In a large double canoe, painted red, and at its masthead fly- 
ing the pennon of an aha-alii, Iwikauikaua, with a score or more 
of attendants, set sail from Kohala in quest of adventure. Pass- 
ing Maui, he spent some time in visiting the small island of La- 
nai, where he was entertained in a princely manner by the leading 
chiefs. Proceeding thence to Molokai, he remained a week or 
more in the neighborhood of Kalaupapa, and then sailed for 
Oahu. 

He landed at Waikiki, on that island, and was well received 
by Kaihikapu, one of the three principal chiefs of Oahu. His. 
father was the noted Kakuhihewa, who had entertained Lono 
during his voluntary exile, and who at his death, a short time be- 
fore, had divided the island among his three oldest sons, leaving 
the dignity of moi to Kanekapu. Harmony existed among the 
brothers, and all of them followed the example of their father in 
maintaining attractive petty courts and imposing establishments. 
The moi retained possession of the royal mansion at Kailua, 
v/hich was two hundred and forty feet in length and ninety in 
breadth, and adorned with all the taste and skill of the period. 

Kaihikapu had a princely mansion at Ewa, but his court was 
at Waikiki at the time of the arrival of Iwikauikaua. The young 
chief, whose rank was at once recognized, was provided with 
quarters for himself and attendants near the court, and soon be- 
came a favorite with the nobility The part he had taken in the 
battles of Lono, together with his miraculous escape at the temple 
of Puukohola, became the talk of the court, and he was treated as. 
a hero. 

In the pleasure of the courts of Oahu, Iwikauikaua spent a 



THE ADVENTURES OF IWIKAUIKAUA. 343 

number of years on the island, and finally became the husband 
of Kauakahi, daughter of Kaihikapu. It was not a love-match, 
at least so far as Iwikauikaua was concerned, for after his mar- 
riage he squandered the most of his time for some years in roam- 
ing from district to district and giving little heed to the future. 
At length he began to crave a more active life, and was about to 
seek it on some other island when the noted war of the Kawelos, 
of Kauai, gave employment to his spear. 

Kawelo had been driven from Kauai by his cousin, and, 
finding refuge in Oahu, had been given lands in the Waianae 
Mountains by Kaihikapu. Instead of settling there in peace, he 
began to construct canoes and prepare for a return to Kauai with 
a force sufficient to maintain himself on that island. Kaihikapu 
was finally induced to assist him, and so substantially that he in- 
vaded Kauai, deposed and killed his cousin, and assumed the 
moiship. Iwikauikaua took part in the expedition, but became 
disgusted with the jealousies of the Kauai chiefs and returned to 
Oahu at the close of the war, without attempting to avail himself 
of the opportunities afforded by the rebellion. 

His marriage with Kauakahi promised him no advancement. 
His hair began to be tinged with gray, and the future presented 
to him no sign of the fulfilment of the prophecy of his youth. 
He consulted the kaulas, but they gave him no satisfaction. One 
of them told him, however, that his fortunes lay to the windward, 
and he provisioned a double canoe, and, with a competent crew 
and a few retainers, set sail in that direction without taking leave 
of any one. He stopped for a few days on Molokai, and a kaula 
there advised him to go to Maui. He accordingly set sail for 
that island, where resided two of his sisters, whom he had not 
seen for many years. One of them, Kapukiiii, was the wife of 
Kauhiakama, the moi of Maui ; and the other, Pueopokii, of 
Kaaoao, a prominent chief of Kaupo. 

He landed at Lahaina, and made himself known to Kapukini. 
Their greeting was affectionate, and they had much to relate of 
their past lives. She was the only wife of Kauhiakama, and he 
was astounded to hear that the aged moi had started two days 
before with a hostile army for Oahu. The object of the invasion 
was not clear, but Iwikauikaua felt satisfied that it would end 
disastrously, and impatiently awaited the result. The only son 
of Kapukini had reached his manhood, and Iwikauikaua advised 



344 ^^^ LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 

his sister to prepare for his installation as mot, expressing the 
opinion that Kauhiakama would never return. His surmises 
proved to be correct. Within ten days a mere handful of the 
force with which the mot had embarked for Oahu returned, bring- 
ing news of the defeat and death of Kauhiakama. 

The t/ioi had landed at Waikiki, where he was met and de- 
feated by the united chiefs of Oahu. He was slain during the 
battle, and his body was taken to the heiau of Apuakehau, where 
it was treated with unusual indignity — so unusual, in fact, that 
Kahekili, the ttioi of Maui, many generations after remembered 
the act, and retaliated in kind upon the chiefs captured by him 
in his conquest of Oahu. 

Kauhiakama had always been a rash and visionary leader, 
and his tragical end did not surprise Iwikauikaua. It was on 
his report that his warlike father, Kamalalawalu, had invaded 
Hawaii, and met defeat and death at the hands of Lono, and 
with equal thoughtlessness he had thrown a small invading force 
into the most thickly populated district of Oahu, and led it to 
slaughter. 

But, whatever may have been the weaknesses of Kauhiakama, 
a lack of courage was certainly not one of them, and the news of 
his death, together with that of the indignity visited upon his re- 
mains, created a wild excitement among the chiefs of Maui. His 
son was installed as tnoi without opposition, and a general de- 
mand for revenge went up from the whole island. Large quotas 
of warriors were offered from every district, and the young mot 
was implored to baptize the beginning of his reign with the best 
blood of Oahu. 

But Iwikauikaua advised the excited chiefs to act with discre- 
tion. No one more than himself felt like avenging the death of 
Kauhiakama, who was the husband of his sister ; " but," he said 
to them, " the chiefs of Oahu are united, and a war upon one of 
them means a conflict with the whole island. Their spears are 
as long and as many as ours, and their knives are as sharp ; 
therefore let not the chiefs of Maui be hasty." 

Many of the chiefs agreed with Iwikauikaua that an invasion 
of Oahu in revenge for the death of their mot would not be ad- 
visable, and the newly-anointed king was of the same opinion ; 
but others, especially those who had lost friends or relatives in 
the late expedition, clamored for war, and not a few of them 



THE ADVENTURES OF IWIKAUIKAUA. 



345 



intimated that the advice of Iwikauikaua was inspired either by- 
friendship for the Oahuans or personal cowardice. 

These insinuations reached the ear of Iwikauikaua, and the 
manner in which he repelled them was bold and effective. Three 
hundred chiefs of the higher grades had gathered to take part in 
the installation of the new 7tioi, and such of them as were entitled 
to a voice in the national councils were assembled to discuss the 
project of war and such other matters as they might be requested 
to consider. As a near relative of the royal family, Iwikauikaua had 
been invited to participate in the deliberations, but he had modestly- 
refrained from urging his opinions, and had thus far spoken only 
when directly appealed to. Several remarks of a sneering char- 
acter had been dropped within his hearing, and finally a chief 
from Wailuku, glancing insultingly toward him, declared that 
the chiefs of Maui were " not afraid to use their spears." 

Iwikauikaua could no longer bear these taunts in silence. 
With a dark scowl upon his handsome face, he rose to his feet 
and impetuously replied : 

" Nor am I afraid to use mine, either in defence of the 77ioi of 
Maui or in challenge to any chief here who presumes to doubt 
my courage ! I scorn to defend myself with words ! Without 
these walls, with spear and battle-axe, I am prepared to answer 
one and all ! " 

Several chiefs sprang to their feet, as if to accept the bold 
challenge, and confusion for a time prevailed ; but order was re- 
stored when Mahia, the venerable chief of Kahakuloa, rose and, 
commanding silence, said : 

" Chiefs of Maui, hear my words and be calm. We have in- 
vited Iwikauikaua to advise with us, and by insulting him we de- 
grade ourselves. He is high in rank and distinguished for his 
courage. He was the friend of the great Lono, of Hawaii, and a 
leader in his battles. He is the brother of Kapukini, and our 
respect is his due. Some of you have spoken words which seem 
to hold his valor lightly, and he has answered, as I would have 
answered had the complaint been mine, by inviting you to test 
the courage you doubt with spear and battle-axe. No other 
answer could have been made by a brave man, and we should 
respect the nobility that prompted it. We should say to Iwi- 
kauikaua, whose body is scarred with the teeth of many battles : 
' We have spoken hastily ; let us now be friends ! ' " 



346 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

The effects of the eloquent words of the old warrior were 
magical. Those who had offended made prompt retraction, and 
looks and expressions of courtesy and kindness came to Iwikaui- 
kaua from all parts of the council. By reputation he was known 
to many of the older chiefs, and when they recounted to the 
younger his chivalrous services in the wars of Hawaii he was 
overwhelmed with manifestations of respect and kindly feeling. 

The demand for an invasion of Oahu with a large force stead- 
ily abated with discussion and a better understanding of the dan- 
ger and uncertainty of the project, and was entirely abandoned 
with the sudden appearance of a fleet of hostile canoes off the 
coast of Honuaula. It was a strong predatory expedition from 
Hawaii. Several villages had been plundered on the southern 
coast, and Wailuku was now threatened. 

Lono, the warlike king of Hawaii, had been dead for some 
years, and under the reign of Keakealanikane several of the more 
powerful of the district chiefs had assumed an attitude of com- 
parative independence. The most noted of these were the I 
family, of Hilo, and the Mahi chiefs, of Kohala. Each could 
muster some thousands of warriors, and occasional plundering or 
retaliatory expeditions were undertaken to the other islands with- 
out the knowledge or countenance of the sovereign authority. 

The fleet discovered off the coast of Honuaula, and reported 
by runners to the moi, was from Kohala and under the command 
of one of the Mahi chiefs in person. As the young moi was un- 
used to war, Iwikauikaua offered his services, and with fifty chiefs 
and two thousand warriors crossed the mountains and drove the 
plunderers from the coast. As it was surmised that other expedi- 
tions of a similar or more aggressive character might follow, the 
chiefs found employment for some time in repairing canoes, es- 
tablishing signals, and placing their coast settlements in better 
conditions of defence. 

Returning to Lahaina, Iwikauikaua learned from a Hilo chief 
on a visit to relatives in Kauaula that Keakealanikane, king of 
Hawaii, had recently died, and that Kealiiokalani, his wife, could 
not long survive a cancerous ailment of the stomach with which 
she was afflicted. The mention of the name of that princess 
brought back a flood of tender and romantic memories, and 
Iwikauikaua resolved to revisit his native island. He was begged 
by the young moi to remain as his mahana and chief counsellor, 



THE ADVENTURES OF IWIKAUIKAUA. 347 

a position to which his rank entitled him ; but he seemed to hear 
the voice of the dying princess calling to him from Hawaii, and 
with becoming state set sail at once for Hilo, where the royal 
court had been temporarily established. 

It was past midnight of the second day of his departure from 
Lahaina when Iwikauikaua reached Hilo. He landed quietly, 
making himself known to no one. He found the place still in 
mourning for the deceased moi, and learned that Keakamahana, 
the elder of the two daughters and only children of Kealiioka- 
lani, had been formally installed as 7noi, or queen, the day before, 
with the royal mother as chief adviser or premier. 

Early next morning Iwikauikaua, clad in a feather cape and 
other insignia of rank, and accompanied by a number of attend- 
ants, proceeded to the royal mansion. Being a chief of unques- 
tioned rank, he was admitted to the pahale, but, on applying for 
an audience with the queen or her first counsellor, was told that 
the former was still fn mourning and could not be seen, and the 
latter was too ill to receive visitors ; but a proffer was made to 
carry any message he desired to either. 

" Then take to Kealiiokalani the words that her cousin, Iwi- 
kauikaua, is at her door," said the chief. 

At the mention of his name the kahu in attendance, a vene- 
rable chief, regarded the visitor for a moment with amazement. 
He had fought by his side in the wars of Lono, and in his face 
recognized the dashing young chief who a generation before had 
been saved by the gods from sacrifice at Puukohola. 

" Iwikauikaua, indeed ! " exclaimed the kahu, with emotion. 
" I know you well. Years ago our spears drank blood together, 
from the shores of Kona to the high lands of Pololu ! " 

Iwikauikaua was pleased at the recognition, and, after ex- 
changing a few pleasant words with the old kahu, the latter con- 
veyed his brief message to Kealiiokalani. She was in her own 
apartment at the time, reclining on a soft couch of kapa, and 
surrounded by a group of silent and sad-eyed attendants. Near 
her sat Keakamahana, the fair young moi, who was doing all that 
affection could suggest to soothe and strengthen her suffering 
mother. Prayers had been said, offerings to the gods had been 
made, and renowned kahunas had resorted to the most potent 
herbs, charms and incantations known to them in behalf of the 
royal sufferer. But nothing could stay the dreadful malady that 



348 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

was eating away her life, and all hope of her recovery had been 
abandoned. The cancerous gnawing was declared by the priests, 
to be the work of an evil spirit, which prayer and sacrifice could 
not dislodge. 

The kahii delivered the message of Iwikauikaua with some 
hesitation, for the condition of the patient had become more 
critical since the death of her husband. But when she heard the 
name of the visitor, and learned that he was without, her eyes 
assumed something of the brightness of her girlhood, and she 
ordered him to be admitted at once. 

As Iwikauikaua entered he was silently conducted to the 
couch of Kealiiokalani. For a moment he gazed at her wan 
face ; for a moment she glanced at the gray hairs which the years 
had brought to him since he said farewell to her in Kohala. He 
knelt beside the couch. He took her hand and held it to his. 
heart, and the silence that followed best interpreted the thoughts 
of both. 

Rising, and learning to his embarrassment that the young 
woman whom he had scarcely noticed was Keakamahana, daugh- 
ter of Kealiiokalani and queen of Hawaii, Iwikauikaua knelt re- 
spectfully before her, and gallantly kissed the hand with which 
she gave him welcome. A low order was given to an attendant 
by the mother, and in a moment she was alone with the queen 
and Iwikauikaua. Casting her eyes around and observing no 
others present, she beckoned them closer, and in broken sen- 
tences said : 

"The black ^a/a will soon cover me. Listen, Iwikauikaua! 
Early in life it was in our hearts to be the husband and wife of 
each other. It was the fault of neither that we were denied that 
hope. It was not my fault that you left Hawaii. It was not your 
fault that I grieved when you went to other lands. But you have 
returned at last. The gods have directed you back to Hawaii. 
They will give to me in death what they refused to my youth. 
In Keakamahana I will be your wife ! " 

She paused for a moment, her listeners bending over her in 
silence, and then continued : 

"Take him as your husband, Keakamahana. He is the gift 
of your mother. He is brave and noble, and you will need his 
counsel when I am gone." 

Overcome by these words of affection, the chief knelt be- 



THE ADVENTURES OF IWIKAUIKAUA. 349 

side the couch, and the eyes of Keakamahana were filled with 
tears. 

" Do you promise ? " inquired the mother. 

" I promise," replied the queen, giving her hand to the kneel- 
ing chief. 

" I promise," repeated Iwikauikaua, as he clasped and kissed 
the proffered pledge. 

"I am content," returned the sufferer, as a smile of happiness 
lighted up her face. 

The attendants were recalled, wondering what had occurred, 
and Iwikauikaua, almost bewildered, took his leave. 

Tradition plainly recites the brief remainder of the career of 
this distinguished chief. Kealiiokalani died a few days after the 
strange betrothal just noted, and Iwikauikaua became the hus- 
band of Queen Keakamahana, thus romantically fulfilling the as- 
piration and prophecy of his youth. 

Their daughter, Keakealani, succeeded her mother as queen of 
Hawaii, and one of her husbands was the son of Iwikauikaua by 
the wife left by him in Oahu. 

With this adventurous and erratic chief originated, it is 
claimed, the custom of burning kukui torches by daylight on state 
occasions, especially in connection with the obsequies of persons 
of royal lineage ; and it was within the present generation that 
the exclusive right to the ceremonial was contested by the two 
royal families claiming the prerogative through descent from 
Iwikauikaua. Certain customs, like chants and meles, are mat- 
ters of inheritance, and remain exclusively in the families with 
which they originate. 



The Prophecies of Keaulumoku. 



CHARACTERS. 

Kahekili, moi of Maui. 

Kalaniopuu, king of Hawaii. 

Namahana, widow of Kamehamehanui. 

Keeaumoku, a royal chief of Hawaii, 

Kahanana, a warrior of Waihee. 

Mahihelelima, governor of Hana, Maui. 

Kaahumanu, daughter of Keeaumoku. 

Kameeiamoku and ) , ,, , „ , 

\ brothers of Keeaumoku. 
Kamanawa, ) 

KiWALAO, son of Kalaniopuu. 

Keaulumoku, the poet-prophet of Hawaii. 

Kamehameha I., the conqueror of the group. 

Keoua, half-brother of Kiwalao. 

Keawemauhili, a royal chief of Hawaii. 



THE PROPHECIES OF KEAULUMOKU. 

THE CAREER OF KEEAUMOKU, THE PRINCE-SLAYER AND KING- 
MAKER. 

I. 

THE days had just begun to lengthen after the summer sol- 
stice of 1765 when a great grief fell upon the royal court 
of the island of Maui. Kamehamehanui, the king, had died very 
suddenly at Wailuku, which had been his favorite place of resi- 
dence, and his brother and successor, Kahekili, had removed his 
court to Lahaina. The bones of the dead king had been care- 
fully secreted, the customary mourning excesses had been in- 
dulged in, and many new apportioniAents of lands had been made 
in accordance with the bequests of the deceased moi and the will 
of his successor. 

Kamehamehanui was an amiable sovereign, but his reign was 
not as successful as that of his father, Kekaulike. His right to 
the sceptre had been contested by his brother, Kauhia, and he 
was secured in it only through the efforts of Alapainui, the king 
of Hawaii. Subsequently Kalaniopuu, the successor of Alapai- 
nui, wrested from him the district of Hana and the celebrated 
fortress of Kauwiki, and retained possession of both at the time 
of Kamehamehanui's death. The lands of the district might 
have been recaptured, perhaps, but the fortress commanding 
them was well-nigh impregnable, and Hana remained a depen- 
dency of Hawaii. 

Kamehamehanui's political wife was his half-sister Namahana, 
with whom he had two children ; but as both of them died in 
their infancy, his brother, Kahekili, succeeded him as moi of the 
island by common consent. After the death of his brother, Ka- 
hekili at once removed his court to Lahaina, where the custom- 
ary period of mourning was concluded. 

It was while the members of the royal family were still in 
mourning at Lahaina that a distinguished stranger suddenly 
landed, with a number of personal attendants, and presented 



354 ^^^ LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

himself at court. His double canoe bore the ensign of an alii, 
and his garb and bearing showed him to be of the higher no- 
bility. His age was perhaps thirty years, although he looked 
somewhat older. He was over six feet in height, and well pro- 
portioned. His face was handsome, and his hair and beard were 
closely cropped. He was clad in a maro and short feather man- 
tle, and around his head was bound a single fold of yellow kapa. 
By a cord of hair was suspended from his neck a palaoa, or 
carved whale's tooth, and his left wrist was ornamented with a 
bracelet of curious shells. He was courageous, courtly, and in 
his best moods agreeable and captivating, and was a splendid 
representative of the rude chivalry of his time. 

As he stepped ashore and proceeded to the royal mansion, 
way was respectfully made for him, even as a stranger of dis- 
tinguished bearing, and his name secured him admission at once 
to the presence of Kahekili, who welcomed him to Lahaina, and 
set apart ample accommodations for himself and lodgings for his 
attendants. « 

Who was this stranger? He was no common chief who 
would have thus presumed to present himself at the court of the 
moi of Maui and expect the courtesy of royal entertainment. 
Two generations before Lonoikahaupu, who had peacefully in- 
herited the sovereignty of the western side of the island of Kauai, 
while the noted Kualii, of Oahu, retained possession 6i the re- 
mainder, paid a royal visit of state to the windward islands of 
the group. His blood was of the best in the archipelago, and 
his equipment and retinue were brilliant and imposing. He em- 
barked with a number of large double canoes, the royal kaulua 
being over eighty feet in length, and was attended by a company 
of skilled musicians and dancers. He also took with him his 
chief navigator, priest and astrologer, and a corps of personal at- 
tendants in keeping with his rank. 

In turn he visited Oahu, Maui and Molokai, where he was 
entertained with distinguished honors, and then set sail for 
Hawaii, of which Keawe was then king. Touching at Hilo, he 
found that the royal court had been temporarily established 
in Kau, and thither he proceeded, to pay his respects to Keawe 
and his beautiful but volatile wife and half-sister, Kalani-kau- 
leleiaiwi. He was becomingly received and entertained by the 
royal couple, and spent some weeks in the enjoyment of the fes- 



THE PROPHECIES OF KEAULUMOKU. 355 

tivities arranged for his amusement. The result was that the 
queen became enamored of the handsome Kauaian king, who was 
duly recognized at once as one of her husbands. 

From this union a son was born, who was named Keawepoe- 
poe, when the father returned to Kauai and there remained. 
This son grew to manhood, and by marriage with Kumaiku, of the 
royal line of Maui, became the father of the three distinguished 
chiefs who, with Keawe-a-Heulu, were the leading captains of 
Kamehameha in the conquest of the group at the close of the 
eighteenth century. One of these sons of Keawepoepoe was 
Keeaumoku, the Warwick of his time, the slayer and maker of 
kings. 

Keeaumoku's first effort in king-making occurred in 1754. 
On the death, in that year, of his uncle Alapainui, and the succes- 
sion of his cousin Keaweopala to the Hawaiian throne, he be- 
came dissatisfied with his allotment of lands and raised the stan- 
dard of revolt in Kekaha. Defeated, he fled in his canoes to Kau, 
where Kalaniopuu had for some years maintained himself in in- 
dependence of Alapainui. Joining their forces, they marched 
northward, defeated and slew Keaweopala in Kona, and Kalanio- 
puu, who was the grandson of Keawe and had a valid claim to 
the sovereignty, was proclaimed moi of Hawaii. 

It is probable that Keeaumoku's services were substantially 
rewarded by Kalaniopuu ; but in his early years he was turbu- 
lent and hot-tempered, and in 1765 he found a pretext for hurl- 
ing defiance at the king and fortifying himself in the northern 
part of Kohala. Kalaniopuu promptly placed himself at the 
head of an adequate force, took the fort by assault, and crushed 
the rebellion with a single blow. But Keeaumoku escaped over 
the pa/i alone, reached the beach, secured a canoe and paddled 
out to sea. Night coming on and the skies being clouded, he lost 
his way and ne-arly perished through thirst and hunger ; but he 
finally reached Lanai, where he found friends, and not long after 
sailed for Maui in a well-equipped double canoe and a respect- 
able retinue of attendants. He landed at Lahaina, and the read- 
er need not be told that the distinguished stranger who so sud- 
denly presented himself at the court of Kahekili, as already 
mentioned, was Keeaumoku. 

The occupation of the district of Hana by the king of Hawaii 
was a source of irritation to Kahekili, and he welcomed Kee- 



356 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

aumoku, not more as an enemy of Kalaniopuu than as a chief 
who might be useful to him in the war which he then meditated 
for the recovery of the captured territory. 

But Keeaumoku was not content to subsist upon the favor of 
Kahekili. In his veins ran the blood of kings, and his pride 
rebelled against a life of dependence, however attractive it might 
be made for him. But he was without available lands or rev- 
enues, for his rebellion against Kalaniopuu had deprived him 
of both, notwithstanding his inalienable landed rights in South 
Kona, and he began to cast about for the means of raising him- 
self again to the dignity of a landed chief. 

His eyes soon fell ^pon the comely Namahana, widow of 
Kamehamehanui. To her belonged the fair and fertile lands of 
Waihee. But she was the inheritance of Kahekili, whose pur- 
pose it was to accept her as a wife at the end of her period of 
mourning. This must have been known to Keeaumoku, who 
was thoroughly acquainted with royal customs of his time ; yet 
he paid such court to the sorrowing dowager, and so sweetly 
mingled his protestations of love with her sighs of grief, that she 
became his wife without consulting with the moi. 

Kahekili was naturally enraged at the union, and was about 
to manifest his displeasure in a manner dangerous to Keeaumoku, 
when Namahana retired with her new husband to her estates at 
Waihee. Kahekili's first impulse was to follow and slay them 
both ; but as Namahana was popular with the nobility, and 
Kahekili had not been in power long enough to be quite sure of 
the fealty of the chiefs, he discreetly concluded to leave to the 
future the punishment of the offending couple. 

Taking up his residence at Waihee, Keeaumoku enlarged and 
beautified his grounds and buildings, and established a petty 
court of princely etiquette and appointments. He was fond of 
display, and soon attracted to Waihee many of the more accom- 
plished young chiefs of the island. The mother and two of the 
brothers of Namahana attached themselves to the household, and 
a number of Molokai chiefs, despoiled of their lands by the king 
of Oahu, became his retainers. He had carefully trained bands 
of musicians and dancers, and his entertainments were frequent 
rnd bountiful. 

In the midst of this semi-royal gayety and splendor Kahekili 
quietly crossed the mountains and temporarily established his 



THE PROP HE C'ES OF KEA UL UMOKU. 357 

court at Wailuku, but a few miles from Waihee. He had heard 
of Keeaumoku's royal style of living, and desired to learn from 
personal observation whether it was inspired by an innocent love 
of display or designs more ambitious. As Keeaumoku had re- 
belled against two sucressive Hawaiian sovereigns, and boldly 
seized the widow of a king in the very household of her royal 
claimant and protector, Kahekili had reason to regard him with 
suspicion, and a week's stay at Wailuku, during which reserved 
courtesies had been exchanged between them, convinced him 
that Keeaumoku was a dangerous subject. But how was he to 
be dealt with? He had committed no act of treason, and an as- 
sault upon him would not be sustained by the chiefs. 

In this dilemma Kahekili resorted to strategy. He induced 
Kahanana, a resolute warrior and subordinate land-holder of 
Waihee, to embroil Keeaumoku in a difficulty with his own peo- 
ple. To this end Kahanana complained — probably without 
cause — that he had been frequently neglected by the servants of 
Keeaumoku in the distribution of fish after fortunate catches, 
and urged his grievance with so good a showing of sincerity that 
many of his friends stood prepared to espouse his quarrel. This 
done, he armed himself for battle, and, the following night, killed 
three of Keeaumoku's laborers. Being attacked in return, he 
was at once supported by a party of warriors secretly detailed 
for that purpose by Kahekili, and a general fight resulted, which 
lasted in a desultory way for three or four days. In the end, 
however, Keeaumoku and his party were overpowered and com- 
pelled to seek safety in flight. 

Keeaumoku and Namahana, with her mother and two bro- 
thers, and a considerable following of chiefs and retainers, es- 
caped over the Eka mountains and embarked for Molokai. But 
Kahekili was not content with the escape of Keeaumoku from 
Maui. He resolved to destroy him, and soon after invaded 
Molokai with a large force. Keeaumoku and his allies met the 
invaders in war-canoes as they approached the shore. A despe- 
rate sea-fight followed, which was continued long into the night 
by torchlight ; but Keeaumoku was again defeated, and with dif- 
ficulty escaped to Hana with Namahana and her relatives. 

This placed Keeaumoku beyond the reach of Kahekili, for 
that district of Maui was still under Hawaiian control ; but in es- 
caping from one enemy he was compelled to throw himself upon 



358 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

the mercy of another. He was hospitably received, however, 
by Mahihelelima, the governor of the district, and was so far for- 
given by Kalaniopuu as to be permitted to remain under the pro- 
tection of the fortress of Kauwiki, where for some time, in the 
shaded valleys at the base of Haleakala, he found a respite new 
to his turbulent life. 



II. 



In a secluded valley within sight of the fortress of Kauwiki, 
with a few devoted friends and attendants, Keeaumoku and his 
family lived unmolested and almost unnoticed for several years. 
It was a season of peace between Hawaii and Maui, and Kee- 
aumoku spent his days in dreaming of wars to come, and politi- 
cal changes that would place him again in a position more con- 
sistent with his rank. He made spears and battle-axes, and laid 
them away ; he constructed canoes and housed them near the 
neighboring beach 

He loved his wife, who was content to share his exile, and 
when, in 1768, a daughter was born to him, Keeaumoku felt that 
the gods were smiling upon him once more, and took courage. 
It is said that the child was born with a yellow feather in her 
hand — a symbol of royalty — and she was named Kaahumanu 
and tenderly cared for. 

In 1775 Kalaniopuu, king of Hawaii, suddenly appeared in 
the district of Hana with a considerable force, and began to rav- 
age the neighboring lands of Kaupo. Kahekili promptly met 
and repulsed him, however, and he returned to Hana and aban- 
doned the campaign by re-embarking with his shattered army for 
Hawaii. Keeaumoku took no part in the brief struggle, and was 
disappointed that nothing decisive had been accomplished. The 
death of either of the two sovereigns engaged would have been 
to him a signal of deliverance. But he was not disheartened. 
He knew the war would soon be resumed on a grander scale, and 
found partial contentment in the hope that it would result in 
changes favorable to his fortunes. 

Exasperated at his defeat, Kalaniopuu 'spent nearly two years 
in preparing for a crushing invasion of Maui. In honor of his 
war-god, Kaili, he repaired and put in order two heiaus, and in- 



THE PROPHECIES OF KEA ULUMOKU. 359 

structed his high-priest, Holoae, to maintain continuous religious 
services, and exert his highest powers to accomplish the defeat 
and death of Kahekili. He landed with six heavy divisions of 
warriors on the southern coast of Maui, but was defeated with 
great slaughter in the neighborhood of Wailuku, and compelled 
to sue for peace. With him were the two brothers of Keeaumoku, 
■ Kameeiamoku and Kamanawa, who attended the young Prince 
Kiwalao in his visit of conciliation to Kahekili after the battle. 

Kalaniopuu returned to Hawaii with what remained of his 
army, and the next year again invaded Maui, and for several 
months carried on a desultory warfare with Kahekili in the sev- 
eral districts of the island. He was assisted by the governor of 
Hana, and was able for some time to maintain a foothold in 
Hamakualoa and elsewhere. 

Keeaumoku offered his services to neither side, but remained 
a quiet and almost unobserved spectator of the hostile move- 
ments which at intervals convulsed the island, and sometimes 
swept past the very door of his exile home in Hana. The proper 
time for him to act had not yet arrived, and years of solitude 
had schooled him to patience. 

It was during this campaign that Captain Cook, the celebrated 
English explorer, arrived off the coast of Maui with the two ves- 
sels under his command, exhibiting faces that were new to the 
natives, and ships which seemed to be the ocean palaces of their 
gods. This was in November, 1778. In January of that year 
Cook had touched the group for the first time. He had landed 
at Kauai and Niihau, and had now returned from the Arctic seas 
to winter among the Hawaiian Islands. 

Abandoning the fruitless war, Kalaniopuu returned to Hawaii 
with his invading army. During the campaign of the year be- 
fore he had been assisted to the extent of a battalion of warriors 
by Kahahana, king of Oahu. Among the followers of the Oahuan 
7}ioi at that time was the celebrated poet and prophet Keaulu- 
moku. He was a native of Naohaku, in the Hamakua district of 
Hawaii, and was distantly related to Kahekili, being a son of a 
cousin of Kekaulike, the father of Kahekili. From his youth 
he was dreamy and psychologic, and spent his time in roaming 
among the hills, watching the stars and listening to the music of 
the ocean. Some years before he had become attached to the 
court of Kahahana, and had followed that sovereign to Maui in 



360 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIl. 

1777. He remained on the island after the return of Kahahana 
to Oahu, and the year following, when Kalaniopuu again invaded 
Maui, the poet was found among his household. 

Although but sixty-two years of age, in appearance Keaulu- 
moku was much older. His eyes were bright, but his form was bent, 
and his white hair and beard swept his shoulders. When he sang 
all listened, and his wild utterances were treasured up and re- 
peated as inspirations from the gods. He was known on all the 
islands of the group, and it was safe for him to travel anywhere. 
He had been a friend of Keeaumoku, many years before, on Hawaii, 
and when lie learned, during the campaign of 1778, that the unfor- 
tunate chief was an exile in Hana and had ceased to be accounted 
among the leaders of the time, he resolved to visit and console him. 

Without making his purpose known to any one, Keaulumoku 
crossed the mountains, and, the third day, stood before his friend 
in Hana. Their greeting was affectionate, and after eating they 
sat down and wailed over Keeaumoku's misfortunes. Then 
Namahana came with stately grace to welcome the old poet, 
bringing with her Kaahumanu, who was then a bright-eyed child 
of ten. He kissed the hand of Namahana, advising her to be of 
good cheer, and, embracing the child and looking into her eyes, 
told her that his dreams that night should be of her. And so 
they were, for the next morning he solemnly sang in the shade of 
the palms that Kaahumanu would be loved by a chief of renown 
and become the wife of a king. 

'• And what of her father ? " inquired Keeaumoku. " Is he 
to rot with his spears in Hana ? " 

" No," replied the poet, promptly. " The great work of Kee- 
aumoku's life is still before him. He will become the slayer of 
princes and maker of kings." 

" One have I already helped to royal honors," returned the 
chief, doubtingly, "and by his favor I am stifling here in Hana." 

" Another a-nd a greater is still to follow, in whose service 
Keeaumoku will die in peace," answered the poet. 

" Who is the coming hero ? " inquired the chief. 

" You will not mistake him when you meet," was the evasive 
reply. 

" And when will that be ? " ventured Keeaumoku. 

No reply being made, the chief continued : 

" Well, no matter when ; I have learned to be patient ! " 




3: g 



THE PROPHECIES OF KEA UL VMOKU. 36 I 

The predictions of the poet extended no farther ; but his 
words cheered the heart of Keeaumoku, and when he left for 
Lahaina the next day, grateful eyes followed his footsteps far into 
the mountains. 

Returning to Hawaii after his unsuccessful campaign of 1778, 
Kalaniopuu remained for a time in Kona, and after the death of 
Captain Cook, in February, 1779, removed his court to Kohala, 
taking with him the poet Keaulumoku. The next year, feeling 
his end approaching — for he was nearly eighty years of age — 
Kalaniopuu set his kingdom in order by proclaiming his son 
Kiwalao as his successor, and naming his nephew, Kamehameha, 
as the custodian of his war-god. He then put down the rebellion 
of Imakakaloa in Kau, and, after changing residences two or three 
times for his health, finally died at Kailikii, in January, 1782. 

A few months before the death of Kalaniopuu, Kahekili, 
learning of the failing health of his old opponent, prepared for 
the recovery of the district of Hana, which had been for nearly 
forty years under Hawaiian rule. Marching into the district and 
investing the fortress of Kauwiki, he finally reduced it by cutting 
off its water-supply, and Eastern Maui again became a part of the 
dominions of the inoi of Maui. This occurred about the time of 
the death of Kalaniopuu. 

But what became of Keeaumoku and his family, whose home 
for years had been among the hills of Hana? Learning of the 
meditated invasion of the district, and unwilling to trust himself 
to the mercy of Kahekili, Keeaumoku fled with his family to the 
almost barren island of Kahoolawe, where he lived in seclusion 
until after the fall of Kauwiki and death of Kalaniopuu, when 
he boldly returned to Hawaii, quietly settled on his old and in- 
alienable estates at Kapalilua, in South Kona, and awaited the 
development of events, which he plainly perceived were rapidly 
and irresistibly tending toward wide-spread revolution and disor- 
der. For more than fifteen years he had heard the clash of arms 
only at a distance, and he yearned for the shouts of battle and 
the music of marching columns. 

The mourning for Kalaniopuu continued for many weeks, 
and rumors unsatisfactory to the Kona chiefs were afloat con- 
cerning the new moi's proposed division of the lands subject to 
royal apportionment. Preparations for the burial of the bones 
of the deceased king were finally completed. In double canoes, 



362 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OP HAWAII. 

one of them bearing the corpse of his royal father, Kiwalao set 
sail with a large party of chiefs, warriors and retainers for Hon- 
aunau. There it was his purpose to deposit the remains in the 
neighboring burial-place of Hale-a-Keawe, sacred to the ashes of 
Hawaiian kings, and then proceed with the redivision of such of 
the lands of the kingdom as were at his disposal. 

When off Honokua the second day, Keeaumoku came down 
from Kapalilua and boarded the fleet. His avowed purpose was 
to wail over the body of Kalaniopuu. His return to Hawaii had 
become generally known, and Kiwalao regarded with a curiosity 
not unmixed with suspicion the warring and impetuous chief, 
who had been first the friend and then the enemy of his father, 
and who had suddenly emerged at a critical moment full-armed 
from the obscurity of years. 

What was the object of Keeaumoku's visit to the mourning 
fleet ? Was he anxious, on the eve of stirring events, to behold 
the face of the young king, remembering the words of Keaulu- 
moku, " You will know him when you meet " ? Perhaps. But, 
whatever may have been his original purpose in visiting the fleet, 
when he left, in keeping with the turbulent instincts of his life, 
his thoughts were aglow with projects of rebellion. 

Hastening to Kehaha, where his brothers, Kameeiamoku and 
Kamanawa, with Kamehameha, Kekuhaupio and other chiefs, 
were in council, Keeaumoku informed them that the destination 
of Kiwalao was Kailua, which place he would proceed to occupy 
after depositing the royal remains at Honaunau. This informa- 
tion, he declared, was given to him by one of Kiwalao's atten- 
dants. 

Not doubting the truth of Keeaumoku's story, and believing 
it to be the purpose of Kiwalao to occupy the entire district of 
Kona, which embraced lands not subject to royal disposal, the 
assembled chiefs moved with their followers and occupied quar- 
ters in the neighborhood of Honaunau. 

Keeaumoku now became a leading spirit in the events which 
rapidly followed. The funeral cortege landed at Honaunau, the 
remains of the dead king were ceremoniously entombed at Hale- 
a-Keawe, and Kiwalao ascended a platform, and to the assembled 
chiefs proclaimed the will of his father. In the divisions of 
lands that followed the Kona chiefs were not consulted ; nor 
does it appear that they were additionally provided for, and Kee- 



THE PROPHECIES OF KEA ULUMOKU. 363 

aumoku had little difficulty in persuading them that they had 
been treated with intended disrespect and hostility. 

In an interview with Kiwalao, Kamehameha was coolly re- 
ceived, and the disaffected chiefs began to prepare for battle. 
They selected Kamehameha as their leader, and for some days 
there was a vigorous mustering of forces on both sides. An at- 
tack was finally made by the rebellious chiefs, and a battle of 
some magnitude ensued. Keeaumoku was again in his element. 
His voice was heard above the din of battle, and his famished 
weapons drank their fill of blood. Entangled with his spear, he 
fell upon the rocky ground. Several warriors rushed upon him. 
Two of them attacked him with daggers, while a third struck 
him in the back with a spear, exclaiming, " The spear has pierced 
the yellow-backed crab ! " 

Kiwalao, not far distant, witnessed the encounter, and called 
to the assailants of Keeaumoku to secure hispalaoa, or ivory neck 
ornament. The attention of Kamanawa was attracted to the 
struggle, and he sprang with a few followers to the assistance of 
his brother, driving back his assailants. At that moment Ki- 
walao was struck in the temple with a stone, and fell stunned to 
the ground. Observing the circumstance, Keeaumoku crawled ■ 
to the fallen king, and, with a knife edged with sharks' teeth, cut 
his throat. 

With the death of Kiwalao the rout of his army became gen- 
eral. The victory made Kamehameha master of the districts of 
Kona, Kohala and Hamakua, while Keoua, the brother of Ki- 
walao, held possession of Kau and Puna, and Keawemauhili de- 
clared himself independent of both in Hilo. 

Keeaumoku's brilliant part in this first of the battles of the 
period for the sovereignty of Hawaii established him at once in 
the favor of Kamehameha, and raised him high in the esteem of 
the distinguished chiefs whose valor ennobled the closing years 
of barbaric supremacy in the group. 



in. 

War soon occurred between Kamehameha and the indepen- 
dent chiefs of Hilo and Kau, but, as no marked advantages to 
either side resulted, Kamehameha established his court at Ha- 



364 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

laula, in Kohala, and occupied himself in improving the condi- 
tion of his people. During the campaign he had met with some 
reverses, but Keeaumoku's faith in the final triumph of his great 
leader remained unshaken through every disaster. He thought 
he saw in him that captain, greater than Kalaniopuu, of whom 
the poet dreamed in Hana, and was soon after confirmed in the 
belief by the definite prophecy of Keaulumoku. 

Restlessly roaming from place to place, the old singer finally 
selected a temporary abode near Halaula, shortly after the re- 
moval of the court of Kamehameha to that village. There he 
was frequently visited by Keeaumoku, sometimes accompanied by 
Kaahumanu, who was budding into an attractive womanhood, and 
sometimes by Namahana, who regarded him with a reverence due 
to one whose utterances seemed to be inspired by the gods. 

Since the death of Kalaniopuu the voice of Keaulumoku had 
been silent. He mourned over the distracted condition of the 
island, and sympathized with the people in their enforced war- 
fare with each other. Vainly had he sought to penetrate the 
mists of desolation and disorder, and catch a glimpse of what 
was beyond. No light had come to him through the clouds ; to 
his prayers no answering voice had whispered in his dreams. 

But the curtain was raised for him at last, and, as the shades 
of the future trooped before him in awful pantomime, in a voice 
wild as the winds sweeping through the gorge of Nuuanu he 
chanted the prophetic mele of Hau-i-Kalafii. After describing, 
the horrors of the civil war then desolating the island, he con- 
cluded by predicting that Kamehameha would triumph over his 
enemies, and in the end be hailed as the greatest of Hawaiian 
conquerors. 

The chant created great enthusiasm among the followers of 
Kamehameha. Keeaumoku listened to it with rapt attention, 
and at its conclusion stooped over the old poet and said : 

"I asked you a question in Hana, which you did not an- 
swer then. Is it answered now ? " 

Keaulumoku looked into the face of the chief for a moment 
as if to collect his thoughts, and then dreamily replied : 

"It is answered ! " 

"Such was my thought," returned the chief. "I have some 
rare dainties from the sea. Come and eat with me to-night, and 
I will ask to be taught the 7nele you have just chanted." 



THE PROPHECIES OF KEA ULUMOKU. 365 

Keaulumoku made no reply, and Keeaumoku walked slowly 
toward the palace, trying to remember the words of the poet 
which had so thrilled his listeners. 

What occurred between Keeaumoku and the old poet during 
their repast that evening will never be known ; but certain it 
is that henceforth Keeaumoku never doubted the final success of 
Kamehameha, and when, in the summer of 1785, the latter re- 
tired discomfited from an invasion of Hilo, Keeaumoku smiled 
as he said to his chief: " Thus far you have only skirmished with 
your enemies ; you will win when you fight battles ! " 

In 1784 Keaulumoku died. For months the old poet had 
lived alone in a hut near Kauhola. He avoided company and sel- 
dom spoke to any one. Feeling his end approaching, he one day 
announced that the evening foUowii^g he would chant his last ?nele. 
Hundreds collected around his hut at the time appointed. They 
did not enter, but sat down, conversing in whispers, and respect- 
fully waited. 

An hour passed, and another, but the old singer did not make 
his appearance. Finally the mat which served as a door was 
drawn aside, and Keaulumoku's white head and bent form were 
seen in the opening. Seating himself within view of all, he be- 
gan to chant a mele in tremulous tone?. As he proceeded his 
voice became louder, and every word was breathlessly listened 
to. He spoke of the coming conquest of the group by Kame- 
hameha, whom he designated as the son of Kahekili, and also as 
"the lone one." He also predicted the early extinction of the 
Kamehameha dynasty, the domination of the white race, the 
destruction of the temples, and finally the gradual death of the 
Hawaiian people. Concluding his chant, the old seer raised his 
hands as if to bless his listeners, and fell back dead. A great 
wail went up from the people, and they tenderly bore the body 
of the dead poet to the heiau, where it was accorded the burial 
rites of a prophet. 

Much of the last prophecy of Keaulumoku was preserved and 
repeated, and by conversing with the many who listened to it 
Keeaumoku managed to secure a satisfactory version of the final 
song of the dying poet. 

From the first of Kamehameha's battles Keeaumoku had 
not doubted the triumph of that chief over all adversaries in 
the end, and eagerly grasped at every circumstance calculated 



366 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAII. 

to Strengthen the conviction. So believing, his way seemed to be 
clear. 

But what of Kaahumanu, whose promised lover was to be a 
chief of renown, and whose husband was to be a king ? She was 
an attractive maiden of seventeen, and a few months after the 
death of Keaulumoku, and while Kamehameha was engaged in 
peaceful pursuits at Halaula, her father suddenly brought her to 
court. Fresh, sparkling and graceful, and related to the royal 
lines of Maui and Hawaii, she attracted the immediate attention 
of Kamehameha, and he disposed of the claims of her many 
suitors at once by making her his wife. 

There was little in the appearance of the great chief to please 
the eye of a girl of seventeen. His features were rugged and 
irregular, and he held in contempt the courtly graces which im- 
parted a charm to the intercourse with each other of the nobility 
of the time. He was already the husband of two recognized 
wives ; but Kaahumanu was ambitious, and, with admiration 
but no affection for him, she consented to become his wife. 

Keeaumoku was now persistent in inspiring Kamehameha 
with the thought of becoming the master of the group. He re- 
cited to him the prophetic chants of Keaulumoku, and brought 
to him the favoring auguries of the kaulas. 

An unsuccessful attempt to recover the district of Hana in 
1786 was followed in 1790 by another invasion of Maui, when 
Kamehameha completely subjugated the island, and then turned 
his attention to Keoua, the independent chief of Kau, who had 
slain the chief of Hilo and assumed the sovereignty of the 
southern districts of Hawaii. 

The war with Keoua continued for more than a year, and 
every effort of Kamehameha to crush this last of his rivals on 
Hawaii was successfully resisted. For nine years Keoua had 
maintained himself against the power of Kamehameha, and still 
remained master of Kau and the most of Puna. Treachery was 
finally resorted to, and Keoua fell. 

The old temple of Puukohola had been partially rebuilt, and 
a noted seer had predicted that its completion would give to 
Kamehameha the undisputed sovereignty of Hawaii. The tem- 
ple was hastily finished, and Keoua was invited to a conference 
with his opponent at Kawaihae, with the view, he was led to 
believe, of peacefully settling their differences. Nearing the 



THE PROPHECIES OF KEA UL UMOKU. 367 

shore of the place of meeting, where he saw and exchanged 
greetings with Kamehameha, he was about to land when Keeau- 
moku met him in a canoe and treacherously assassinated him, 
and his body was taken to the newly-completed temple and 
sacrificed to the war-god of his betrayer. 

Keoua was a brave, noble, and magnanimous chief, and the 
apologists of Kamehameha have not succeeded in relieving him 
from the odium of Keeaumoku's cowardly act. He was the half- 
brother of Kiwalao, and his death left Kamehameha the master 
of Hawaii. 

Truly, as predicted by the seer, had Keeaumoku become the 
slayer of princes and the maker of kings. But his work was not 
yet completed. Kamehameha was the sovereign of Hawaii, but 
the conquest of the group was still before him. Every circum- 
stance, however, conspired in his favor. Kahekili, the warlike 
king of Maui and conqueror of Oahu, died in 1794, and a rup- 
ture had occurred between his successor and Kaeo, the moi of 
Kauai. 

Everything being in readiness, early in 1795 Kamehameha 
invaded Oahu with a mighty army, defeated and subsequently 
captured and sacrificed to his war-god King Kalanikupule, and 
shortly after received the submission of the moi of Kauai — thus 
becoming the acknowledged master of, and for the first time in 
their history consolidating under one government, the several 
islands of the Hawaiian group. 

The prophecies of Keaulumoku have all been fulfilled. Kee- 
aumoku, the slayer of princes and maker of kings, died peace- 
fully as governor of the windward islands in 1804. Kaahumanu 
became the wife of a king, and died as chief counsellor of the 
islands in 1832. The temples of the Hawaiian gods were de- 
stroyed immediately after the death of Kamehameha, in 18 19, 
and but a tenth of the number of natives found on the islands 
at the close of the last century are now left to sing of the 
achievements of their ancestors, who first made their home in 
the group when the Roman Empire was falling to pieces under 
the assaults of Northern barbarism. 



The Cannibals of Halemanu. 



CHARACTERS. 

Kalo Aikanaka, or KoKOA, a cannibal chief. 
Kaaokeewe, or Loru, a lieutenant of Kokoa. 
Palua, daughter of Koiioa. 
Kaholekua, wife of Lotu. 
Napopo, brother of Kaholekua. 



THE CANNIBALS OF HALEMANU. 

A POPULAR LEGEND OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY. 
I. 

ALTHOUGH barbarous to the extent to which a brave.' 
warm-hearted and hospitable people were capable of be- 
coming, every social, political and religious circumstance pre- 
served by tradition tends to show that at no period of their his- 
tory did the Polynesians proper — or the Hawaiian branch of the 
race, at least — practise cannibalism. In their migrations from 
the southern coasts of Asia to their final homes in the Pacific, 
stopping, as they did, at various groups of islands in their volun- 
tary or compulsory journeyings, the Polynesians must have been 
brought in contact with cannibal tribes ; but no example ever 
persuaded them into the habit of eating human flesh, or of re- 
garding the appetite for it with a feeling other than that of 
aversion and disgust. In offering a human sacrifice it was cus- 
tomary for the officiating priest to remove the left eye of the vic- 
tim after the lifeless body had been deposited upon the altar, and 
present it to the chief, who made a semblance of eating it. Even 
as learned and conscientious an inquirer as Judge Fornander 
has suggested that this custom was possibly the relic of a canni- 
bal propensity existing among the Polynesian peoj^le far back in 
the past. The assumption is quite as reasonable that the rite 
was either a simple exhibition of bravado, or the expression of a 
desire on the part of the chief to thereby more strictly identify 
himself with the offering in the eyes of the gods. 

Several traditions have come down the centuries referring to 
the existence of cannibal tribes or bands at one time or another 
in the Hawaiian archipelago, particularly on the islands of Oahu 
and Kauai, and harrowing stories of their exploits are a part of 
the folk-lore of the group. But in every instance the man-eaters 
are spoken of as foreigners, who came from a land unknown, 
maintained local footholds for brief seasons in mountain fast- 
371 



372 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

aesses, and in the end were either exterminated or driven from 
the islands by. the people for their barbarous practices. It is 
difificult to fix, even approximately, the period of the earlier of 
these occurrences, as they are mentioned in connection with rul- 
ing chiefs whose names do not appear in the chronological 7neles 
surviving the destruction of the ancient priesthood. Instead of 
being foreigners, it is not improbable that the cannibals referred 
to ill some of the traditions were the remnants of a race of sav- 
ages found on one or more of the islands of the group when the 
first of the Polynesians landed there. This, it may be presumed, 
was somewhere near the middle of the fifth century of the Chris- 
tian era. 

It has generally been assumed by native historians that the 
mcestors of the Hawaiian people found the entire group unin- 
habited at the time of their arrival there. The bird, the lizard 
and the mouse, with an insect life confined to few varieties, were 
the sole occupants of that ocean paradise, with its beautiful 
streams, its inviting hills, its sandal forests, its cocoa and ohia 
groves, its flowering plains, its smiling valleys of everlasting green. 
But the interval between the fifth century and the eleventh — be- 
tween the first and second periods of Polynesian arrival — is a 
broad blank in the legendary annals of Hawaii, and the absence 
of any record of the circumstance cannot be satisfactorily ac- 
cepted as evidence that, on arriving at the group from the south- 
ern islands, the Polynesians of the fifth century did not find it 
sparsely occupied by an inferior and less capable people, whom 
they either affiliated with or destroyed. In some of the meles 
vague references are made to such a people, and ruins of temples 
are still pointed out as the work of the Menehuttes — a half-mythi- 
cal race or tribe, either from whom the Hawaiians descended, or 
with whom they were in some manner connected in the remote 
past. 

To whatever period, however, many of these stories of canni- 
balism may refer, circumstances tend to show that the legends 
connected with the man-eaters of Halemanu are based upon 
events of comparatively recent centuries. The natives, who still 
relate fragments of these legends to those whom curiosity prompts 
to visit the cannibals' retreat near the northern coast of Oahu, 
generally refer the adventures described to the early part or 
middle of the eighteenth century, and a half-caste of intelligence 



THE CANNIBALS OF HALEMANU. 373 

informed the writer that his grandfather had personal knowledge 
of the cannibal band. Although the sharpness of the details pre- 
served indicates that their beginning could not have been very- 
many generations back, the occupation of Halemanu by Aika- 
naka and his savage followers could have occurred scarcely later 
than the latter part of the seventeenth century — probably during 
the reign of Kualii or his immediate successor, somewhere be- 
tween the years 1660 and 1695. At that time Oahu was gov- 
erned by a number of practically independent chiefs, whose 
nominal head was the governing alii-nui of the line of Kakuhi- 
hevva, of whom Kualii was the great-grandson. 

It will therefore be assumed that it was near the close of the 
seventeenth century that Kalo Aikanaka, with two or three hun- 
dred followers, including women and children, landed at Waialua, 
on the northern coast of Oahu, and temporarily established him- 
self on the sea-shore not far from that place. Ten years before, 
more or less, he had arrived with a considerable party at Kauai 
from one of the southern islands — which one tradition does not 
mention. The strangers came in double canoes, and, as they 
were in a starving condition, it was thought that they had been 
blown thither by adverse winds while journeying to some other 
islands. They were hospitably received and cared for by the 
people of Kauai, and for their support were given lands near the 
foot of the mountains back of Waimea. In complexion they were 
somewhat darker than the Kauaians, but otherwise did not differ 
greatly from them either in dress, manners, modes of living or 
appearance. They knew how to weave mats, construct houses 
of timber and thatch, make spears and knives, and hollow out 
canoes of all dimensions. They were familiar with the cocoa- 
nut and its uses, and required no instruction in the cultivation of 
kalo or taro. They were expert fishermen, and handled their 
weapons with dexterity. Their language, however, was entirely 
different from that of the Kauaians ; but they soon acquired a 
knowledge of the latter, and in a short time could scarcely be dis- 
tinguished from the natives of the island. 

Although known as Kalo Aikanaka by the natives, the real 
name of the chief of the strangers was Kokoa. The name of his 
principal lieutenant or adviser, which is given as Kaaokeewe by 
tradition, was Lotu, or Lotua. Kokoa was of chiefly proportions, 
and his muscular limbs were tattooed with rude representations of 



374 ^^^ LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

birds, sharks and other fishes. His features were rather of the 
Papuan cast, but his hair was straight, and the expression of his 
face was not unpleasant. The appearance of Lotu, on the con- 
trary, was savage and forbidding. His strength was prodigious, 
and he made but little disguise of his lawless instincts. The wife 
of Kokoa had died during the passage to Kauai, leaving with him 
a daughter of marriageable age named Palua. Tradition says she 
was very beautiful, and wore necklaces and anklets of pearls. 
Her eyes were bright, her teeth were white, and the ends of her 
braided hair touched her brown ankles as she walked. Lotu was 
married, but without children. He did not like them, and more 
than one, it is said, had been taken from the breast of Kaholekua 
and strangled. 

The strangers brought with them two or three gods, and made 
others after their arrival. They knew nothing of the gods of the 
Kauaians, and preferred to worship their own. To this the na- 
tives did not object ; but in the course of time they discovered 
that their tabu customs, even the most sacred, were not observed 
by the strangers. Their women were permitted to eat cocoa- 
nuts, bananas, and all kinds of flesh and fish, including the va- 
rieties of which native females were not allowed to partake. 
Fearing the wrath of the gods, the chief of the district visited 
Kokoa and requested him to put a stop to these pernicious prac- 
tices among his people. He promised to do so, and for a time 
they ceased ; but the offenders soon fell back into their old habit 
of indiscriminate eating, and the chief again visited Kokoa, pre- 
pared to put his previous request into the form of an order. The 
order was given, but not with the emphasis designed by the chief 
in making the visit, for he then met Palua for the first time, and 
found it difficult to speak harshly to the father of such a daugh- 
ter. In fact, before he left the chief thought it well to leave the 
matter open for further explanation, and the next day returned 
to make it, and to ask Kokoa, as well, to give him the beautiful 
Palua for a wife. Father and daughter both consented, and 
within a few days Palua accompanied the chief home as his wife. 
There, at least, it was expected that Palua would respect the tabus 
she had violated before her coming, and the chief appointed a 
woman to instruct her thoroughly in the regulations applicable to 
her changed condition. She promised everything, but secretly 
complied with no requirement. The chief implored her to obey 



THE CANNIBALS OF HALEMANU. 375 

the mandates of the gods, and sought to screen her acts from the 
eyes of others ; but her misdemeanors became so flagrant that 
they at last came to the knowledge of the high-priest, and her 
life was demanded. Her husband would have returned Palua 
to her father, but the priest declared that her offences had been 
so wanton and persistent that the gods would be satisfied with 
nothing short of her death, and she was therefore strangled 
and thrown into the sea. 

Learning of the death of his daughter, Kokoa in his rage 
slew a near kinsman of the chief and made a feast of his body, to 
the great delight of his followers. They were cannibals, but the 
fact was not known to their neighbors, as they had thus far re- 
strained their appetites for human flesh, and avoided all mention 
to others of their propensity for such food. Their relish for it, 
however, was revived by the feast provided by the wrath of Ko- 
koa, and they were not sorry to leave the lands they had been 
for some time cultivating back of Waimea, and find a home in 
the neighboring mountains, where they could indulge their savage 
tastes without restraint. 

Locating in a secluded valley in the mountains of Haupu, 
Kokoa and his people remained there for several years. They 
cultivated taro and other vegetables, and for their meat depended 
upon such natives as they were able to capture in out-of-the-way 
places and drag to their ovens. Suspected of cannibalism, they 
were finally detected in the act of roasting a victim. Great in- 
dignation and excitement followed this discovery, and the chief 
of the district called for warriors to assist him in exterminating 
the man-eaters. But Kokoa did not wait for a hostile visit. His 
spies informed him of what was occurring in the valleys below, 
and he hastily dropped down to the opposite coast, seized a 
number of canoes at night, and with his followers immediately 
set sail for Oahu. The party first landed at Kawailoa ; but a 
Kauaian on a visit to that place recognized one of their canoes 
as the property of his brother, and was about to appeal to the 
local chief, when they suddenly re-embarked and coasted around 
the island to AVaialua, where they found a convenient landing 
and concluded to remain. 



3 76 THE LEGENDS AN£> MYTHS OF HA WAII. 

II- 

We now come to the final exploits of Kokoa and his clan in 
Oahu. It is probable that they did not remain long in the im- 
mediate neighborhood of Waialua, where the people were numer- 
ous and unoccupied lands were scarce. Sending their scouts 
into the mountains in search of a safe and uninhabited retreat, 
one of exceptional advantages was found in the range east of 
Waialua, some eight or ten miles from the coast, and thither they 
removed. The spot selected has since been known as Hale- 
manu. Before that time it was probably without any particular 
name. It is a crescent-shaped plateau of two or three hundred 
acres, completely surrounded by deep and almost precipitous 
ravines, with the exception of a narrow isthmus, scarcely wide 
enough for a carriage-way, connecting it with a broad area of 
timberless table-land stretching downward toward the sea. 

Nature could scarcely have devised a place better fitted for 
defence, and Kokoa resolved to permanently locate there. Near 
the middle of the plateau he erected a temple, with stone walls 
two hundred feet by sixty, and twenty feet in height. This 
structure was also designed as a citadel, to be used in emergen 
cies. About fifty paces from the temple was the hale of the 
chief — a stone building of the dimensions of perhaps fifty feet 
by forty. It was divided into three rooms by wicker partitions, 
and roofed with stout poles and thatch. Between this building 
and the temple was a large excavated oven, with a capacity for 
roasting four or five human bodies at the same time, and a few 
paces to the westward was the great carving-platter of Kokoa. 
This was a slightly basin-shaped stone rising a foot or more 
above the surface, and having a superfice of perhaps six by four 
feet. A little hewing here and there transformed it into a con- 
venient carving-table, from which hundreds of human bodies 
were apportioned to his followers by Kokoa, who reserved for 
himself the hearts and livers, as delicacies to which his rank en- 
titled him. The lines of the buildings described may still be 
traced among the tall grass, and the oily-appearing surface of 
the carving-table, known as " Kalo's ipiikai" bears testimony to 
this day to the use made of it by the cannibals of Halemanu. 
The platter is now almost level with the surface of the ground, 
and its rim has been chipped down by relic-hunters, but time 



THE CANNIBALS OF HALEMANU. 377 

and the spoliations of the curious have not materially changed 
its shape. 

Having provided the plateau with these conveniences and 
the huts necessary to accommodate his people, Kokoa next put 
the place in a condition for defence by cutting the tops of the' 
exposed slopes leading to it into perpendicular declivities, and 
erecting a strong building covering the width and almost entire 
length of the narrow back-bone connecting it with the plain be- 
low. There was then no means of reaching the plateau except 
by a path zigzagging down the upper side to the timbered 
gulches beyond, or by the trail passing directly through the 
building occupying the apex of the isthmus. 

Of this entrance Lotu, the savage lieutenant of Kokoa, was 
made the custodian. And there he sat in all weather, watching 
for passers, the most of whom, if acceptable, he found a pretext 
for slaying and sending to the great oven of his companions. 
His almost sleepless watchfulness was due less to a disposition 
to serve others than to his merciless instincts, which found 
gratification in blood-letting and torture. Tradition says there 
was a hideous humor in the manner in which he dealt with many 
of his victims. In allowing them to pass he inquired the objects 
of their visits either to the plateau or the gulches beyond. They 
informed him, perhaps, that they were in quest of hala leaves, 
of poles for huts, of wood for surf-boards, of small trees for 
spears, or of flints for cutting implements, as the case may have 
been. When they returned he examined their burdens close- 
ly, and if aught was found beyond the thing of which they were 
specifically in search — even though so trifling an object as a 
walking-staff, or a twig or flower gathered by the way — he de- 
nounced them as thieves and liars, and slew them on the spot. 

In this manner many hundreds of people were slain and eat- 
en ; but as no one ever returned to tell the story of whaNwas 
transpiring at Halemanu, the cannibals remained for some time 
undisturbed. But if their real character was not known, their 
isolation and strange conduct gradually gained for them the 
reputation of being an evil-minded and dangerous community, 
and visitors became so scarce at length that Lotu found it nec- 
essary to drop down into the valleys occasionally in search of 
victims. Nor were these expeditions, which demanded great 
caution, always successful ; and when they failed, Lotu some- 



378 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 

times secretly killed and sent to the oven one of his own people, 
with faces mutilated beyond recognition. Among these were all 
of his own relatives and two of the three brothers of his wife. 
To escape the fate of the others, the surviving brother, whose 
name was Napopo, fled to Kauai. 

In physical strength Napopo was scarcely less formidable 
than Lotu ; but he was young in years, and lacked both skill and 
confidence in his powers. To supply these deficiencies, and 
prepare himself for a successful encounter with Lotu, which he 
resolved to undertake in revenge for the death of his brothers, he 
sought the most expert wrestlers and boxers on Kauai, and learned 
from them the secrets of their prowess. He trained himself in 
running, swimming, leaping, climbing, and lifting and casting 
great rocks, until his muscles became like hard wood, and his 
equal in strength and agility could with difficulty be found on 
all the island. And he skilled himself, also, in the use of arms. 
He learned to catch and parry flying spears, and hurl them with 
incredible force and precision. From the sling he could throw 
a stone larger than a cocoanut, and the battle-axe he readily 
wielded with one hand few men were able to swing with two. 
Having thus accomplished himself, and still distrustful of his 
powers, he made the offer of a canoe nine paces in length to any 
one who in a trial should prove to be his master either in feats 
of strength or the handling of warlike weapons. Many contested 
for the prize, but Napopo found a superior in no one. 

During the contests a strong man, with large jaws and a 
thick neck, came forward and challenged Napopo to compete 
with him in lifting heavy burdens with the teeth. The bystand- 
ers were amused at the proposal, and Napopo was compelled by 
their remarks and laughter to accept it, although he regarded it 
as frivolous. Fastening around his middle a girdle of cords, he 
cast himself on the ground and said to the man : " Now with 
your teeth lift me to the level of your breast." Stooping and 
seizing the girdle in his teeth, the man with a great effort lifted 
Napopo to the height demanded. The other was then girded in 
the same manner. He seemed to be confident of victory, and 
said to Napopo, as he threw himself at his feet : " You will do 
well if you raise me to the level of your knees." Napopo made 
no reply, but bent and gathered the girdle well between his teeth, 
and raised the body to the height of his loins. " Higher ! " ex- 



THE CANNIBALS OF HALEMANU. 3 79 

claimed the man, thinking the strength of his antagonist was 
even then taxed to its utmost ; " my body is scarcely free from 
the ground ! " He had scarcely uttered these words before Na- 
popo rose erect, and with a quick motion threw him completely 
over his head. Bruised and half-stunned by the fall, the man 
struggled to his feet, and, with a look of wonder at Napopo, hur- 
riedly left the place to escape the jeers of the shouting witnesses 
of his defeat. 

Now confident of his strength and satisfied with his skill, 
Napopo returned to Oahu in the canoe which so many had failed 
to win. Landing at Waialua, he by some means learned that his 
sister, Kaholekua, the wife of Lotu, had been killed by her hus- 
band. Arming himself with a spear and knife of sharks' teeth, 
Napopo proceeded to Halemanu. Arriving at the house barring 
the entrance to the stronghold, he was met at the door by Lotu, 
Their recognition was cold. The eyes of Lotu gleamed with sat- 
isfaction. No longer intimidated, as in the past, Napopo paid 
back the look with a bearing of defiance. 

" Leave your spear and enter," said Lotu, curtly. 

Napopo leaned his spear against the house and stepped with- 
in, observing, as he did so, that Lotu in his movements kept 
within reach of an axe and javelin lying near the door. 

" Where is Kaholekua ? " inquired Napopo. 

" There, " replied Lotu, sullenly, pointing toward a curtain of 
mats stretched across a corner of the room. 

Without a word Napopo stepped to the curtain and drew it 
aside. He expected to find his sister dead, if at all, but she was 
still living, although lying insensible from wounds which seemed 
to be mortal. With a heart swelling with rage and anguish, he 
closed the curtain and returned to the door. He could not trust 
himself to speak, and therefore silently stepped without, in the 
hope that Lotu would leave his weapons and follow him. To 
this end he stood for a few minutes near the entrance, as if over- 
whelmed with grief, when Lotu cautiously approached the door. 
Advancing a step farther, Napopo suddenly turned and seized 
him before he could reach his weapons, and a desperate bare- 
handed struggle followed. Both were giants, and the conflict was 
ferocious and deadly. From one side to the other of the narrow 
isthmus they battled, biting, tearing, pulling, breaking, with no 
decided advantage to either ; but the endurance of Napopo was 



380 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIT. 

greater than that of his older antagonist, and in the end he was 
able to inflict injury without receiving dangerous punishment in 
return. Both of them were covered with blood, and their maros 
had been rent away in the struggle, leaving them perfectly nude. 

Although Napopo had in a measure overpowered his mighty 
adversary, he found it difficult to kill him with his naked hands. 
He could tear and disiigure his flesh, but was unable to strangle 
him or break his spine. He therefore resolved to drag him to 
the verge of the precipice, and hurl him over it into the rocky 
abyss below. Struggling and fighting, the edge of the gulf was 
reached, when Lotu suddenly fastened his arms around his an- 
tagonist, and with a howl of desperation plunged over the brink. 
Dropping downward to destruction together, Lotu's head was 
caught in the fork of a tree near the bottom of the,declivity and 
torn from the body, and Napopo, clasped in the embrace of the 
lifeless but rigid trunk, fell dead and mangled among the rocks 
of the ravine still farther down. 

Recovering her consciousness during the battle, Kaholekua 
dragged herself from the house just in time to witness the de- 
scent of the desperate combatants over the precipice. Approach- 
ing the verge, she uttered a feeble wail of anguish and plunged 
headlong down the declivity, her mangled remains lodging within 
a few paces of those of her husband and brother. 

The conclusion of these tragical scenes was observed by a 
party from the plateau above — one tradition says by Kokoa him- 
self. However this may be, the cannibal chief concluded that 
Halemanu was no longer a desirable retreat, and a few days after 
crossed the mountains to Waianae with his remaining followers, 
and soon thereafter set sail with them for other lands. What 
became of the party is not known ; but with their departure ends 
the latest and most vivid of the several legends of cannibalism in 
the Hawaiian archipelago. 



Kaiana, the Last of the Hawaiian 
Knights. 



CHARACTERS. 

Kalaniopuu, king of Hawaii. 

KoLALE, wife of Kalaniopuu. 

KiWALAO, son of Kalaniopuu, and his successor. 

LiLiHA, wife of Kiwalao. 

Keopuolani, daughter of Kiwalao. 

Keoua, half-brother of Kiwalao. 

Keawemauhili, uncle of Kiwalao. 

Kamehameha L, successor of Kiwalao. 

Keeaumoku, 1 

Kameeiamoku and y brothers and chiefs of Hawaii. 

Kamanawa, J 

Kaahumanu, one of the wives of Kamehameha I. 

Kahekili, king of Maui. 

Kalanikupule, king of Oahu, son of Kahekili. 

Kaeo, king of Kauai. 

Kamakahelei, queen of Kauai. 

Imakakaloa, chief of Puna. 

Kalaimoku, a distinguished chief. 

Kakuhaupio, a counsellor of Kamehameha I, 

Kaiana, one of the captains of Kamehameha I. 

Kepupuohi, wife of Kaiana. 

Nahiolea, brother of Kaiana. 



KAIANA, THE LAST OF THE HAWAHAN 
KNIGHTS. 

KAMEHAMEHA, KAAHUMANU, CAPTAIN COOK, AND THE FINAL 
CONQUEST. 

I. 

AMONG the distinguished Hawaiian chiefs connected with 
the final conquest and consolidation of the group by Ka- 
mehameha the Great, and standing in the gray dawn of the 
close of the eighteenth century, when the islands were redis- 
covered by Captain Cook and tradition began to give place to 
recorded history, was Kaiana-a-Ahaula. He was one of Kame- 
hameha's greatest captains, and the events of his life, which 
closed with his death in the last battle of the conquest, embrace 
one of the most interesting periods in Hawaiian history. After 
giving to the conqueror his best energies for years, and faithfully 
assisting in cementing the foundations of his greatness, he turned 
against him on the very eve of final triumph, and perished in at- 
tempting to destroy by a single blow the power he had helped to 
create. 

What was it that caused Kaiana to turn his spear in hopeless 
desperation against his victorious chief, to whom the gods and 
their prophets had promised everything ? Had not Pele de- 
stroyed his enemies with fire and smoke? and had not Keaulu- 
moku, the inspired bard of Naohaku, chanted the fadeless glory 
of his triumphs ? The war-god of Liloa — the fateful Kaili — led 
the van of his conquering columns, and Kalaipahoa, the poi- 
son god of Molokai, was among the deities of his household. 
The high-priest Hewahewa, who traced his sacerdotal line 
back to Paao, was his mediator in the temples, and every 
voice from the aim was a note of encouragement and promise 
of victory. The great chiefs of Hawaii were his friends, and his 
war-canoes cruised almost unopposed throughout the eight Ha- 
waiian seas. Musket and cannon had been added to his weapons 
383 



384 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 

of war, and white men had enlisted to some extent in his ser- 
vice. But, with all these advantages and assurances of success,, 
Kaiana suddenly threw defiance in his face and became his open 
enemy. 

By some the defection of Kaiana has been attributed to cold- 
blooded and unprovoked treachery ; by others to an assumption 
by Kaiana that by blood Kamehameha was not entitled to the 
sovereignty of the group, and that his defeat in Oahu would dis- 
pose of his pretensions in that direction, and possibly open to 
himself a way to supreme power ; and by still others to the jeal- 
ousies of Kamehameha, which rendered the life of Kaiana no 
longer safe in his service. By these it is claimed that Kame- 
hameha was jealous, not only of the growing military fame of 
Kaiana, but of a suspected regard of his favorite wife, Kaahu- 
manu, for the handsome and distinguished chief. And this, in- 
deed, as shown by native and other testimf)ny, seems to have 
been the leading if not sole cause of the estrangement between 
Kamehameha and his great captain. 

In the council of chiefs on the island of Molokai, to which 
Kaiana was not invited, and which he had reason to believe had 
decreed his death, ambition was the crime which Kamehameha 
imputed to him, when in truth the real and unmentioned offence 
was his suspected intimacy with Kaahumanu. And so it will 
appear that women's eyes in Hawaii, as elsewhere, have in all 
ages swayed the hearts and nerved the arms of the greatest, and 
not unfrequently changed the current of vital political events. 

But, before bringing Kaiana full into the light, it is proper 
that some reference should be made to the great chief under 
whose banners he so stubbornly fought, and against whose au- 
thority he finally rebelled ; and in doing so it will be interesting, 
perhaps, to glance briefly at certain prominent events connected 
with the rediscovery of the islands by Captain Cook, the assump- 
tion of the sovereign authority of Hawaii by Kamehameha, and 
the final consolidation of the several islands of the group under 
one central government. 

Kameham-eha was a man of tremendous physical and intel- 
lectual strength. In any land and in any age he would have been 
a leader. The impress of his mind remains with his crude and 
vigorous laws, and wherever he stepped is seen an imperishable 
track. He was so strong of limb that ordinary men were but 



KAIANA, THE LAST OF THE HAWAIIAN KNIGHTS. 385 

children in his grasp, and in council the wisest yielded to his 
judgment. He seems to have been born a man and to have had 
no boyhood. He was always sedate and thoughtful, and from 
his earliest years cared for no sport or pastime that was not man- 
ly. He had a harsh and rugged face, less given to smiles than 
frowns, but strongly marked with lines indicative of self-reliance 
and changeless purpose. He was barbarous, unforgiving and 
merciless to his enemies, but just, sagacious and considerate in 
dealing with his subjects. He was more feared and admired 
than loved and respected ; but his strength of arm and force of 
character well fitted him for the supreme chieftaincy of the 
group, and he accomplished what no one else could have done in 
his day. 

Kamehameha was born at Kohala, Hawaii, in November, 
1740. His father was Keoua, half-brother of Kalaniopuu, and 
nephew of Alapainui, who was at that time king of Hawaii. His 
mother was Kekuiapoiwa, a granddaughter of Kalanikauleleiaiwi, 
who was a sister of Keawe, the previous 7fwi of the island. This 
sister was the mother of Alapainui by a chief of the Mahi family 
of Kohala. With another husband — Lonoikahaupu, a tabu chief 
of Kauai — she became the mother of Keawepoepoe, who was the 
father of Keeaumoku, Kameeiamoku and Kamanawa, who, with 
Keawe-a-Heulu, were the principal chiefs and supporters of Ka- 
mehameha in his conquest of the group. By a Kauai wife Lo- 
noikahaupu became the grandfather of Kaumualii, the last inde- 
pendent sovereign of Kauai, and grandfather of Kapiolani, the 
present queen of the islands. 

Keawe, the previous king of Hawaii, had four recognized 
v/ives, and two others whose names have not been preserved by 
tradition. One of them was the mother of Ahaula, who was the 
father of Kaiana. On the death of Keawe his two elder sons 
lost their lives in a struggle for the mastery, and Alapainui, the 
son of the sister of Keawe, and who through his father was chief 
of Kohala, assumed the moiship, and, after a few battles, peace- 
fully maintained his claim to it. Having secured the sovereignty 
of the island, he invited to court the elder sons of his two de- 
ceased half-brothers, and there maintained them until one of 
them died and the other rose in rebellion against him. These 
two sons were Kalaniopuu, who was king of the island at the 
time of the arrival of Captain Cook in 1778, and Keoua, the 



386 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 

father of Kamehameha. The mother of these wards of Alapai- 
nui was Kamakaimoku, a chiefess of Oahu. Their fathers hav- 
ing been brothers, and Kamakaimoku being the mother of both, 
they bore to each other the mixed relationship of half-brother 
and cousin. She also became the wife of Alapainui, and by him 
the mother of Manoua, who was the grandmother of Kekuaoka- 
lani, the last distinguished champion of idolatry in 18 19. 

To this record of the tangled relationships of the chiefly fami- 
lies of the group at that period may be added the intimations of 
tradition that Peleioholani, a chief of Kauai, was the actual 
father of Kalaniopuu, and that Kahekili, the moi of Maui, was 
the real father of Kamehameha; and in proof of the latter the acts 
and admissions of Kahekili are cited. But these scandals may 
very properly be dismissed as the offspring of the hatred and 
jealousies of later years. 

Kamehameha was born at Kohala while Alapainui was there 
with his court, superintending the collection of a mighty fleet for 
the invasion of Maui. It was a stormy night, and the first sounds 
that greeted the ears of the infant chfef were the howling of the 
winds and the din of warlike preparations. On the night of its 
birth the child was stolen froiw its mother's side and carried away 
by Naeole, the chief of Halawa, and for some days nothing was 
heard of it. The father searched and the mother wailed, but the 
infant could not be found. It was finally discovered, however, 
and Naeole, instead of being punished for the theft, was allowed 
to keep possession of the child until it was five years old, when it 
was taken to the court of Alapainui and there reared as became 
a prince. Tradition assigns no reason for the theft of the child, 
or for the retention of it for five years by the kidnapper ; but, 
whatever may have been the reason, it is manifest that Naeole's 
offence was considered neither flagrant nor unusual. 

When Kamehameha reached the age of twelve or fourteen 
years, his father, Keoua, suddenly died, and a suspicion became 
current that he had been either poisoned or prayed to death 
through the instrumentality of Alapainui. This suspicion seems 
to have been shared by Kalaniopuu, and believing, or assuming 
to believe, that his own life was in danger, he withdrew from the 
court and attempted to take with him Kamehameha ; but in this 
he was frustrated. A fight occurred at Piopio while the body of 
Keoua was lying there in state, and Kalaniopuu was driven to 



KAIANA, THE LAST OF THE HA WAIIAN KNIGHTS. 387 

his war-canoc, m which he escaped. This act placed him in 
open revolt against his royal uncle, and he prepared to sustain it. 
Forces were hastily gathered on both sides, and after a few bat- 
tles, in which Kalaniopuu was generally unsuccessful, he retired 
to the district of Kau, and declared himself the independent 
sovereign of the southern portion of the island. For some reason 
Alapainui did not disturb his rebellious nephew farther, but spent 
the two remaining years of his life in Hilo and Waipio, the resi- 
dence of many of the ancient viois. 

When Alapainui died he was succeeded by his son Keaweo- 
pala. Dissatisfied with his allotment of lands, Keeaumoku, a 
nephew of the dead king, rebelled against the new moi, but was 
defeated and compelled to seek safety with Kalaniopuu, whom 
he found already in the field, intent upon contesting the sove- 
reignty of the island with Keaweopala. The two joined forces, 
and met and defeated the royal army in Kona. Keaweopala was 
slain in battle, and Kalaniopuu was declared moi of Hawaii. 
Young Kamehameha was taken to the court of his royal uncle, 
and educated in all the princely accomplishments of the period. 

Although it is probable that Kamehameha took part in some 
of the earlier wars of Kalaniopuu, he makes his first prominent 
appearance in tradition as a military leader in about 1775, in a 
battle on Maui, between Kalaniopuu and Kahekili, the 7noi of 
that island, or of the greater portion of it. Kalaniopuu was de- 
feated, but the conduct of Kamehameha was notably cool and 
sagacious. It is reasonable to beUeve that he also took part in 
the disastrous campaign of the following year, when the army of 
Kalaniopuu was almost annihilated on the lowlands near Wai- 
luku. 

This battle was one of the most sanguinary spoken of in Ha- 
waiian tradition. Kalaniopuu invaded the island with six heavy 
divisions of warriors of all arms. The members of the royal 
family were formed into a life-guard called Keawe, while the 
nobles entitled to the privilege of eating at the same table with 
the king composed two distinct brigades, known as Alapa and 
Fiipii. A landing was effected on the southern side of the 
island. The headquarters of Kahekili were at Wailuku, between 
which and the coast stretched a slightly elevated sandy plain. ' 

The Alapa took the advance, and, without waiting for sup- 
port, pushed boldly on toward Wailuku. This brigade was the 



388 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 

flower of the Hawaiian army. It was composed of eight hundred 
men, each one of whom was of noble blood. They were all 
large men of nearly equal stature, and their spears were of equal 
length Marching shoulder to shoulder, with feather capes and 
plumed helmets, tradition describes their advance as a spectacle 
such as had never before been witnessed. But Kahekili was not 
appalled at the sight. He permitted them to approach within a 
mile or more of Wailuku, when he suddenly precipitated upon 
them a force of four or five thousand spears. The battle was 
a slaughter. The Alapa refused to yield or retreat, and of the 
eight hundred helmeted chiefs but two escaped to tell the tale of 
the slaughter of their comrades. But a single prisoner was taken, 
and he died of his wounds before he could be despatched in form 
and offered in sacrifice. It was historic ground. On the sandy 
plain many battles had before been fought, and near and above 
it was the sacred burial-place of lao, where had been deposited 
the bones of many of the ancestors of the battling chiefs. 

The next day a general battle was fought on the same ground, 
and Kalaniopuu was defeated. But he was not crushed. The loss 
of life had been great on both sides, and a temporary peace was 
established on the condition that the Hawaiian army should at 
once be withdrawn from Maui. The suspension of hostilities 
was secured partly through the instrumentality of the wife of 
Kalaniopuu, Kalola, who was the full sister of Kahekili. 

But this peace was of short duration. Scarcely a year elapsed 
before Kalaniopuu again invaded Maui, where he continued to 
hold a fortified possession in Hana, and began to ravage its 
coasts. Without decisive results, the campaign extended into 
months, Kalaniopuu maintaining a foothold in Hamakualoa, but 
being unable to extend his conquests greatly beyond it. 

II. 

It was during the indecisive campaign just referred to that 
Captain Cook — having a few months before touched at Kauai 
and Niihau — returned to the Hawaiian group from the Arctic 
Ocean, and anchored off the coast of Maui, where he freely com- 
municated with the wondering natives, and exchanged courtesies 
with Kalaniopuu and his principal chiefs, including Kameha- 
meha. 



KAIANA, THE LAST OF THE HA WAIIAN KNIGHTS. 389 

It is now admitted that the Hawaiian group was first discov- 
ered by Juan Gaetano, a Spanish navigator, in 1555, while on a 
voyage from the western coast of Mexico to the Moluccas, or Spice 
Islands ; but the secret was kept from the .world, and the first 
European to touch at the islands, to communicate with the na- 
tives and make his discovery known, was Captain Cook. 

In the hydrographic bureau of the naval department of the 
Spanish government exists an old manuscript chart pretty cor- 
rectly locating the group and crediting Gaetano with the dis- 
covery. He named the islands Islas de Mesa, or Table Islands. 
It is probable that he made a landing on one of the islands with 
a few of his crew, since tradition refers to the sudden appearance 
of white men at about that period ; but if he did land he left no 
record of the circumstance, and it is not shown that he ever 
returned to the group, or that any of his countrymen profited 
by the discovery. It has been claimed that Captain Cook was 
directed to the islands by an old Spanish chart of which he had. 
in some manner become possessed ; but his own evidence, as 
well as that of his officers, favors the assumption that the redis- 
covery of the islands by him was accidental. 

Early in December, 1777, Captain Cook, with the British na- 
tional ships Resolution and Discovery, left the Society group for 
the northwest coast of America. On inquiry the natives of 
Bolabola Island informed him that they knew of no lands north 
or northwest of them, and it is not probable that he expected to 
meet with any ; but after a voyage of sixteen days he discovered 
Christmas Island, and on the i8th of January, 1778, sighted 
Oahu, of the Hawaiian group, and to the northward of it Kauai. 
He first landed at the latter island, where he was well received 
by the natives. He was believed to be their god Lono, whose 
return to the group had been promised, and divine honors were 
accorded him. His ships were provided with everything they 
required, and the fairest women of the island, including the 
daughter of the queen, were sent to greet and welcome him. 

He next visited Niihau, where he was received in the same 
hospitable manner, and on the 2d of February, without visiting 
the other islands of the group, proceeded on his voyage toward 
Behring's Strait in search of a northwest passage to the Atlantic. 
The approach of winter putting an end to further explorations in 
the north, he returned to the islands, and on the 26th of Novem- 



3 go THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIT 

ber, 1778, sighted Maui, and the next day his ships were visited 
by hundreds of natives. The news of his previous visit to Kauai 
and Niihau had spread throughout the group, and he was treated 
with the greatest friendship and hospitality. 

Three days later, when off the northwest coast of Maui, he 
was ceremoniously visited by Kalaniopuu, and six or eight chiefs, 
Kamehameha among them, accompanied him almost to Hawaii, 
when they left in their canoes, which had been taken in tow, and 
returned to Maui, to the great relief of their friends. 

Beating around the coasts of Hawaii, it was not until the 17th 
of January, 1779, that the vessels came to anchor in Kealakea- 
kua Bay, on the western side of the island. They were at once 
crowded with natives, and the high-priest came aboard, recog- 
nized Cook as the god Lono, and threw over his shoulders the 
sacred mantle of red. In the afternoon Cook went ashore, and 
in a neighboring temple permitted himself to be publicly and 
ceremoniously worshipped. Meantime the vessels were abun- 
dantly and gratuitously supplied with pigs, poultry, fruits and 
vegetables, and the officers and crews were treated with the great- 
est kindness. 

On the 24th of January Kalaniopuu returned from Maui, and 
on the 26th paid the ships a formal visit. The visit was return- 
ed, and Cook, as before, was received on shore with divine 
honors, against which he offered no protest. He was placed 
among the gods in the temple, and sacrifices were offered to him 
as one of the Hawaiian Trinity. 

How were the devotion and kindness of the simple natives 
requited ? By eating out the substance of the people, violating 
the tabus oi the priests and trampling upon the edicts of the king. 
Cook became exacting, dictatorial and greedy, and from his con- 
duct it almost seemed that he began to consider himself in reality 
the god for whom he was mistaken by the superstitious natives. 

Under the circumstances, his departure for the leeward islands 
of the group, on the 4th of February, was regarded with satisfac- 
tion by the natives ; but the vessels encountered a storm, and on 
the nth returned to Kealakeakua Bay for repairs. Their recep- 
tion was much less jubilant than before, and not a canoe went 
off to greet their return. However, Kalaniopuu visited the ships 
the next day, and permitted the natives to resume intercourse 
with them. 



KAIANA, THE LAST OF THE HA WAIIAN KNIGHTS. 39 1 

But it was plain that the feelings of the people had under- 
gone a change. They found that the white strangers had appe- 
tites like themselves, and were just as subject to bodily ills. 
They also discovered that they were selfish, unjust and overbear- 
ing, and were not entitled to the consideration with which they 
had been treated. Petty bickerings began to occur, and finally a 
young chief named Palea was knocked down with a paddle by an 
English sailor while attempting to save his canoe from wanton 
damage. 

In retaliation Palea stole a boat from one of the ships. Cook 
demanded its restoration, but, as it had been hastily broken up 
for its iron nails and fastenings, Kalaniopuu could not, of course, 
return it. Thereupon Cook ordered a blockade of the harbor, 
resulting in the killing of a prominent chief who attempted to 
enter it, and then landed with an armed boat's crew with the 
view of seizing and holding the king as security for the return of 
the missing boat. 

Kalaniopuu was in the act of peacefully accompanying Cook 
to one of his vessels in the harbor, and had reached a point not 
far from the landing, when the brother of the chief who had been 
killed in attempting to enter the harbor angrily approached to 
demand an explanation. By this time a large crowd of natives 
had surrounded the king, and believing, no doubt, that the inten- 
tions of the chief were hostile. Cook drew a pistol and ^red upon 
him, and the next moment shot and killed a native who had as- 
saulted him with a stone. He also struck with his sword a chief 
named Kanaina. The latter seized and held him. 

Believing Cook to be a god, it was not thought that he could 
be killed. Struggling to free himself, he must have received a 
wound from some quarter, for he sank to the earth with a groan. 
The groan was fatal to him. " He is not a god ! he groans ! " ex- 
claimed the people, and without hesitation they slew him at once. 

Fire was immediately opened upon the natives from the boat, 
and shortly after with cannon from the vessels in the harbor. 
Consternation seized the people huddled on the beach. Many 
were killed, and the most of the remainder fled to the hills, tak- 
ing with them the body of Cook. A party of carpenters and 
sail-makers, at work some distance away, became involved in the 
struggle, but the 'most of them escaped to the ships through the 
kind offices of friendly chiefs. 



392 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIT. 

The bones of the unfortunate captain were stripped of their 
flesh, as was then the custom, and divided among a few promi- 
nent chiefs. Kamehameha, it is said, received the hair. A few 
days after, in response to the request of Captain King, such of 
the bones as could be recovered were brought on board the Reso- 
lution, by order of Kalaniopuu, and committed to the deep with 
military honors. The ships then left Kealakeakua Bay, and after 
touching at Oahu, Kauai and Niihau, finally sailed northward on 
the 15th of March, leaving behind them a train of evils which a 
full century of time has failed to eradicate. 

III. 

Abandoning his campaign in Maui, Kalaniopuu, who was 
nearly eighty years of age and quite feeble, removed his court to 
Kohala after the death of Captain Cook, and subsequently to 
Waipio, where he remained for some months. Desiring to settle 
the succession while he lived, he called his high chiefs together 
and proclaimed his son Kiwalao as his heir and successor in the 
government and the supervision of the tabus, and Kamehameha 
as the custodian of his war-god Kaili, to which duty the heiau of 
Moaula, in Waipio, was formally dedicated after extensive re- 
pairs. A temple was also consecrated to the same god in Hilo. 

Shortly after Imakakaloa, who had raised the standard of re- 
volt in Puna, was captured after a stubborn war^ and condemned 
to be sacrificed at the temple of Pakini. In the absence of 
Kalaniopuu the performance of the ceremonies devolved upon 
Kiwalao. First in order came the offerings of pigs and fruits, to 
be followed by the body of the rebel chief ; but while Kiwalao 
was making the first of the offerings, Kamehameha seized the 
body of the chief, offered it in sacrifice and then dismissed the 
assembly. 

As the sacrifice was to the war-god Kaili, of which he was 
the custodian, Kamehameha doubtless claimed and boldly as- 
sumed the right to conduct the ceremonies himself. But the 
daring act of insubordination created an intense excitement at 
the royal court, many regarding it as little less than rebellion, 
and Kalaniopuu advised Kamehameha to retire to Kohala for a 
season, as he could not answer for his safety in Waipio. He ac- 
cepted the advice of his uncle, and, taking with him his wife 



K A IAN A, THE LAST OF THE HA WAIIAN KNIGHTS. 395 

Kalola, his brother Kalaimamahu and the war-god Kaici, re- 
moved to his patrimonial estates at Halawa, in Kohala, where he 
remained until the death of Kalaniopuu, which shortly occurred. 

Early in 1782 Kalaniopuu died, and his body was brought to 
Honaunau for interment in the sacred burial-place of Hale-a- 
Keawe. Fearful that the division of lands which usually followed 
the installation of a new moi would not be satisfactory, several 
prominent chiefs, among them Kamehameha, repaired to Honau- 
nau to assist in the interment of the dead king and listen to the 
proclamation of Kiwalao. After the body had been deposited 
Kiwalao ascended a platform and informed the assembled chiefs 
that, by the will of his royal father, the sovereignty of Hawaii 
had been bequeathed to him, and the custody of the war-god 
Kaili to Kamehameha. No other chief was mentioned as hav- 
ing been provided for, and profound dissatisfaction followed. 

At an awa party in the evening Kiwalao declined to drink of 
the awa prepared by Kamehameha, as custom rendered it pro- 
per that he should do. By Kekuhaupio, the aged counsellor of 
Kamehameha, the bowl was struck from the hand of another to 
whom it had been passed untasted by Kiwalao, and Kameha- 
meha and his friend abruptly left the house. An open rupture 
followed the division of lands soon after made, and Kamehame- 
ha was forced to take up arms against Kiwalao by the disaffected 
chiefs. He was made their leader, and around him rallied the 
chiefs of Kona, Kohala and Hamakua, while Kiwalao was gene- 
rally sustained by the chiefs of Hilo, Puna and Kau. 

After hasty preparations on both sides a battle was fought at 
Hauiki, in which Kiwalao was slain. The royal army was rout- 
ed, and Keoua, the half-brother of Kiwalao, fled to Kau, where 
he declared himself king of Hawaii, while Keawemauhili, the 
uncle of the dead king, who was allowed to escape owing to his 
extremely high rank, retired to Hilo and set up an independent 
government of his own.. After the death of Kiwalao, Keopuolani, 
his infant daughter, whose mother had fled with her to Kahekili, 
moi of Maui, was the only one whom Keawemauhili was willing 
to recognize, and three distinct factions began to struggle for 
the mastery of the island. 

While a desultory warfare was being carried on by the three 
rival chiefs of Hawaii, during which Kamehameha was steadily 
growing in strength, a new element of military and naval power 



394 ^^^ LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 

made its appearance in the group, and became an important fac- 
tor in the political changes that speedily followed. In 1786 the 
first foreign vessels, after the departure of the Resolution and Dis- 
covery, touched at the islands, and during the year following 
American, English, French, Spanish and Portuguese merchant- 
men in considerable numbers visited the group, and the people 
began to supply themselves with knives, axes, cloths, beads and 
other articles of foreign manufacture, and the chiefs with swords, 
guns, powder and lead and other warlike materials. Payment 
for these articles was made to some extent in pigs, fowls, fruits 
and vegetables, but principally in sandal-wood, in which the 
mountainous districts of the islands abounded, and which found 
a ready market in China. Many deserting sailors entered the 
service of the chiefs of Oahu and Hawaii, and to a less extent of 
the other islands, and became the instructors of the natives in 
the use of fire-arms ; and Kamehameha was especially fortunate 
in securing the services of Isaac Davis and John Young, who 
took an active part in the campaigns of the final conquest. 
Young married into a native family of consequence, and became 
the grandfather of the late queen-dowager Emma, widow of Ka- 
mehameha IV. 

In 1790 Kamehameha, during a temporary cessation of hos- 
tilities on Hawaii, invaded Maui with a large force. To the ex- 
pedition Keawemauhili had been in some manner induced to 
contribute a battalion of warriors. In retaliation for this show- 
ing of friendship for Kamehameha, Keoua invaded Hilo, defeated 
and killed Keawemauhili, and assumed the sovereignty of that 
district. Nor did he stop there. During the absence of Kame- 
hameha he overran the districts of Hamakua and Kohala, and 
was in the act of possessing himself of the whole island when 
Kamehameha abruptly left Maui, which he had completely sub- 
jugated, and returned to Hawaii. 

Kaiana had been left to guard the district of Kona during the 
absence of Kamehameha, and that was the only division left un- 
occupied by Keoua. Kamehameha landed with his forces at 
Kawaihae, and Keoua fell back with his army to Paauhau. 
There and at Koapapa a two days' battle was fought, when Keoua 
retreated to Hilo, and Kamehameha retired to Waipio to recruit 
his losses. 

Stopping for a few days to divide the lands of the district 



KAIANA, THE LAST OF THE HA WAIIAN KNIGHTS. 395 

among his chiefs, Keoua started on his return to Kau. His 
path led by the crater of Kilauea. His army, marching in three 
divisions, encamped on the mountains, the central division find- 
ing quarters not far from the crater. Before morning an erup- 
tion occurred, and four hundred warriors were suffocated. This 
was considered a special visitation of the wrath of Pele, the god- 
dess of the volcano, and she was thereafter deemed to be the 
friend of Kamehameha. 

For a year or more continuous efforts to crush the power of 
Keoua were made by Kamehameha. Kaiana operated against 
him in Kau, and Keeaumoku in Hilo, but he stubbornly and suc- 
cessfully resisted. Availing himself of this condition of affairs, 
Kahekili, inoi of Maui, assisted by Kaeo, king of Kauai, invaded 
Hawaii, probably for the purpose of creating a diversion in favor 
of Keoua, but the combined armies were driven from the island 
by Kamehameha. 

Keoua, however, remained unsubdued, and Kamehameha re- 
solved at every sacrifice to crush him, as a preliminary step to- 
ward the conquest of the entire group, which at that time he be- 
gan to meditate. Some time before he had sent the grand- 
mother of Kaahumanu to Kauai to consult the prophets of that 
island, and word was brought back to him from the renowned 
Kapoukahi that if he would rebuild the heiau of Puukohola and 
dedicate it to his war-god, he would become the master of Ha- 
waii. Some work had been done on the temple, and Kamehameha 
determined to complete it at once. He therefore ordered large 
relays of people from the surrounding districts to repair to Kawai- 
hae and assist in the building of the heiau. Many thousands re- 
sponded. With the exception of Keliimaikai, a brother of Ka- 
mehameha, who was left uncontaminated for the consecration, 
every chief took part in the labor, and the temple was soon com- 
pleted, with sacrifices embracing a large number of human be- 
ings as the work progressed. 

Thus was the temple of Puukohola completed, but, pending 
its formal consecration, Keawe-a-Heulu and Kamanawa, two of the 
principal counselors of Kamehameha, were despatched to Kau 
under a flag of truce, to invite Keoua to visit Kamehameha, with 
the view of arranging terms of peace. Keoua received the am- 
bassadors kindly, and consented to the conference. His actions 
show that he suspected the motives of Kamehameha, but he re- 



396 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 

solutely accepted the hazard of placing himself at the mercy of 
his enemies. 

Proceeding in state in a double canoe, Keoua arrived at the 
landing of Mailekini, in Kawaihae. Observing Kamehameha on 
the beach, Keoua called to him, and was invited to land. Sev- 
eral canoes were around him, and as he leaped ashore Keeau- 
moku, from one of them, treacherously drove a spear through his 
body, killing him at once. An attack was then made upon his 
attendants, and all but two of them were slain. As this, and 
many other events noted in this chapter, are briefly referred to 
in the legend of "The Prophecies of Keaulumoku," it will be 
sufificient to mention that the body of Keoua was taken to the 
temple of Puukohola, and there sacrificed to Kaili with ample 
pomp and ceremony. The possessions of the unfortunate chief 
passed into the hands of Kamehameha, who at once became 
the acknowledged sovereign of the entire island. This was in 
1792. 

In Kamehameha's previous campaign against Maui, from 
which he had been recalled by the successes of Keoua at home, 
that island, as already stated, had been completely subjugated. 
At the time of the invasion, Maui, Oahu, Molokai and Lanai 
were all in the possession of Kahekili, who had taken up his 
residence in Oahu, leaving his son Kalanikupule in charge of 
Maui. In a single mighty battle on the plains between East 
and West Maui, Kamehameha had destroyed the army of Kalani- 
kupule, who had escaped to Oahu and joined his father, while 
the most of the chiefs of Maui had sought refuge on the other 
islands. 

After this victory Kamehameha despatched a messenger to 
Kahekili, informing him of his intention to invade Oahu, and the 
old king returned to him this answer : "Tell Kamehameha to 
return to Hawaii, and when the black kapa covers the body of 
Kahekili the whole group shall be his." This answer seems tO' 
have been hardly honest, however, for, soon after Kamehameha 
returned to Hawaii, Kahekili entered into a combination with 
Kaeo, king of Kauai, and made war upon Kamehameha in his 
own home, with the disastrous results to the confederates already 
mentioned. 

In 1794 Kahekili died, leaving Kalanikupule as his successor, 
and a claimant to the sovereignty of Oahu, Maui, Molokai and 



KAIANA, THE LA ST OF THE HA W All AN KNIGHTS. 397 

Lanai. Kaeo, the younger brother and ally of Kahekili, and who 
had become the king of Kauai by marrying Queen Kamakahelei, 
and had shared in the government of Maui after the withdrawal 
of the forces of Kamehameha, concluded to return temporarily to 
Kauai after the death of Kahekili. Taking with him a portion of 
his army, he first touched at Molokai to collect tribute, and then 
landed on Oahu for further supplies. Although his visit was 
friendly, he met with opposition from Kalanikupule, and a battle 
followed, in which Kaeo was slain. 

The Oahu king was assisted by the seamen of two English 
vessels lying in the harbor of Honolulu, the Jackal and Prince 
Leboo. After the victory a feast was given on board the vessels, 
to which the king and a number of his chiefs were invited. 
Some of the boats of the vessels, returning from the shore with 
their crews, grounded on the reef. Perceiving this, Kalanikupule 
and his chiefs seized the vessels, killing their captains and a 
number of others. Elated with the possession of these vessels 
and their armaments, the king resolved to invade Hawaii. Em- 
barking his army in canoes, he took passage in one of the vessels, 
■on board of which had been stored the most of his guns and war 
materials. 

The crews of the vessels had been retained to manage them, 
and Kalanikupule sailed out of the harbor in high glee. But he 
did not proceed far. After reaching deep water the foreigners 
sent him and his attendants back to Waikiki in a boat, and then 
sailed for Hawaii, where they delivered Kalanikupule's war sup- 
plies to Kamehameha, who was even then preparing for a descent 
upon Oahu and the final conquest and consolidation of the group. 
This was in the latter part of 1794. The amount of war material 
■delivered to Kamehameha was not large, but all of it proved of 
service to him. 



IV. 



With this somewhat extended reference to Kamehameha and 
the prominent chiefs of his time, which brings the tracings of 
public events down to the eve of the concluding struggle of the 
•conquest, we will now return to Kaiana, through whose relations 
Tvith Kamehameha some curious glimpses of the domestic life of 



398 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 

the latter are brought to view. We have thus far seen him as a 
warrior. We will now observe him as a husband, whose peace 
was disturbed by jealousies, and whose heart, stern in all things 
else, was not proof against the tender influences of love. 

At the close of his unsuccessful campaign against the chiefs 
of Hilo and Kau, in 1785, Kamehameha took up his residence 
at Kauhola, where he devoted himself for a time to more peaceful 
pursuits. To stimulate his people to industry he gave his per- 
sonal attention to agriculture, and the piece of ground cultivated 
with his own hands is still pointed out. Continuous wars had 
impoverished his possessions, and he was anxious to restore to 
productiveness his neglected lands. 

Up to this time Kamehameha had two recognized wives, Ka- 
lola and Peleuli. This Kalola was not the widow of Kalaniopuu^ 
although bearing a similar name. She was a granddaughter of 
Keawe, king of Hawaii. Peleuli was the daughter of Kamana- 
wa, brother of Keeaumoku, and one of his stanchest sup- 
porters. 

For some months Kamehameha lived quietly at Kauhola. 
The inspired song of Keaulumoku, who had died the year be- 
fore, predicting that he would become the sovereign of the group, 
still rang in his ears, and in the midst of their labors his people 
were encouraged in the practice of the manly games and pastimes 
which added to their strength, skill and endurance in war. Sham 
fights on land and sea, and swimming, diving, wrestling, running 
and leaping contests, were frequent ; and during the annual feast 
of Lo7io, beginning with the winter solstice and continuing for 
five days, a tournament was given which brought to Kauhola the 
leading chiefs of Hamakua, Kohala and Kona. Among them 
was the famous Keeaumoku, who had charge of the district of 
Kona. He was accompanied by his family, of which his daugh- 
ter, Kaahumanu, was the most attractive feature. 

Twenty years before Keeaumoku, who was of the royal line, 
rebelled against Kalaniopuu, and was defeated and forced to 
find refuge on Maui, whose moi^ Kamehamehanui, had died but 
a few days before, leaving the government to his brother Kahe- 
kili. Keeaumoku, whose fortunes were desperate, succeeded in 
captivating and marrying Namahana, the widow of the deceased 
king, very much to the chagrin and disappointment of Kahekili, 
whose claim to the dowager was sustained by the royal custom. 



KAIANA, THE LAST OF THE HA W All AN KNIGHTS. 399 

of the time. A difficulty followed, and Keeaumoku and his wife 
took up their residence on the northern side of the island. But 
they were not permitted to remain there in peace. Through the 
hostility of Kahekili they were driven to Molokai, and thence to 
the district of Hana, in eastern Maui, which was then held by the 
king of Hawaii, and there, through the mercy of Kalaniopuu, 
they were allowed for some years to reside ; and there, in 1768, 
Kaahumanu was born. On the death of Kalaniopuu, in 1782, 
Keeaumoku returned to Hawaii, and in the war for the succes- 
sion espoused the cause of Kamehameha and became one of his 
chief counselors and captains. 

Kaahumanu was one of the most attractive women of her 
time, and inherited something of the restless and independent 
spirit of her warlike father. She was in her eighteenth year when 
she made her appearance at the court of Kamehameha, during 
the festival of Lono, in 1785. The wives of Kamehameha were 
well along in years, Peleuli being the mother of a full-grown son, 
and Kaahumanu charmed the great chief with her freshness and 
independence. His warlike soul yielded to the fascination, and 
to win her smile he took part in the contests of the festival and 
overcame all competitors. He then proposed to make her his 
wife. Keeaumoku readily consented, but Kaahumanu could only 
be won by the promise that her children should become the 
political heirs of Kamehameha. This promise was given, and 
Kaahumanu became the wife of Kamehameha. It is probable 
that he intended to observe the compact at that time, but as 
Kaahumanu died childless he was in the end left to dispose 
of the succession through other and more distinguished chan- 
nels. 

Kaahumanu became the wife of Kamehameha's heart. He 
loved her as well as he was capable of loving any woman, and 
she was the only one whose indiscretions were regarded by him 
with feelings of jealousy. His other wives were not restricted 
by him to his sole attentions, and even the blue-blooded Keo- 
puolani, whom he subsequently married, and who became the 
mother of his heirs to the throne, had a joint husband in Hoa- 
pili. 

But in the affections of Kaahumanu Kamehameha would 
brook no joint occupant or rival. She doubtless sought to avail 
herself of the privileges of the times, but Kamehameha objected 



400 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 

with a frown which would have meant death to another, and for 
years their relations were the reverse of harmonious. 

Kaiana's father was Ahaula, who was the son of Keawe, king 
of Hawaii, by a mother whose name is now unknown. The 
mother of Kaiana was Kaupekamoku, a granddaughter of Ahia, 
of the I family of Hilo, from whom the present sovereign of the 
islands draws his strain. The birthplace of Kaiana is not re- 
corded, but he was probably reared in the neighborhood of Hilo, 
and thoroughly instructed in all the chiefly accomplishments of 
the period. He grew to a splendid manhood. He was nearly 
six and a half feet in height, was well proportioned, and possessed 
a strikingly handsome face. This is the testimony of Captain 
Meares, with whom he made a voyage to China in 1787. 

Kaiana was of high rank and boundless ambition, and in early 
,manhood cast his fortunes with Kahekili, the warlike 7noi of 
Maui, to whom he was related. He was among the prominent 
chiefs who assisted Kahekili in his conquest of Oahu in 1783, 
and took a distinguished part in the decisive battle of Kaheiki. 
Kahahana, the unfortunate king of Oahu, escaped to the hills, 
where he remained secreted for nearly two years, when he was 
betrayed by the brother of his wife and slain by order of Kahe- 
kili. 

This cruel treatment of Kahahana, together with the rapacity 
of the invaders, created a revulsion of feeling among the Oahu 
chiefs, and a wide-spread conspiracy was organized by the father 
of Kahahana and others against Kahekili and the Maui chiefs to 
whom had been assigned lands in the several districts of the 
island. The plan was to rise in concert and kill them all in one 
night, including Kahekili. But the murderous project mis- 
carried. By some means it became known to Kahekili, and he 
despatched messengers to the threatened chiefs, warning them of 
their danger. All but one of them were notified. The messen- 
ger failed to reach Hueu, who was at Waialua, and he was killed. 
But fearfully was his death avenged. Kahekili collected his 
forces for a war for blood. Men, women and children were 
butchered without mercy, and the native Oahu chiefs were al- 
most extirpated. So great was the slaughter that one of the Maui 
chiefs built a house at Lapakea, the walls of which were laid up 
with the bones of the slain. 

In this rebellion a number of Kahekili's own chiefs turned 




The God " Kumauna," Four Miles above Hilea, Hawaii, 
(huge face delineated in the cliff.) 



KAIANA, THE LA ST OF THE HA WAIIAN KNIGHTS. 40 1 

against him, among whom were Kaiana and Kaneoneo, the latter 
being the first husband of Kamakahelei, queen of Kauai. What 
incited the defection of Kaiana is not known, but he was prob- 
ably dissatisfied with the lands apportioned to him by Kahekili, 
and hoped to profit by the restoration of the island to native 
rule. 

Kaneoneo was killed, but Kaiana managed to escape to Kauai. 
Kaneoneo was of the royal line of Kauai, and, as already stated, 
the first husband of the queen of that island. How he came to 
be a supporter of Kahekili in his conquest of Oahu, or what 
prompted his subsequent espousal of the cause of the Oahu 
chiefs, are matters which tradition has left to conjecture. 

Kamakahelei's second husband, whom she had selected some 
years before while her first was living, as was then the custom, 
was the gallant Kaeo, or Kaeokulani, the younger brother of 
Kahekili. He was commended to her not more through his 
princely blood than his many accomplishments and graces of 
person, and she appears to have been greatly attached to him. 

She had two daughters with Kaneoneo, both of whom were 
of marriageable age when she became the wife of Kaeo. She 
was the granddaughter, it may be mentioned, of Lonoikahaupu, 
a prince of Kauai, who in his younger years visited Hawaii, was 
accepted as the temporary husband of Kalani, the sister of Kea- 
we, and through her became the grandfather of Keeaumoku 
and his two distinguished brothers. The daughters of the queen 
were Lelemahoalani and Kapuaamohu, the latter of whom, in 
marriage with Kaumualii, the last independent king of Kauai, 
became the grandmother of the present queen, Kapiolani. 

Kaeo took no part in the conquest of Oahu by his brother, 
but remained at Kauai, assisting the queen in her government, 
while Kaneoneo found occupation first in aiding and then in op- 
posing Kahekili. Escaping from Oahu after the defeat of the 
rebellious chiefs and death of Kaneoneo, Kaiana presented him- 
self before the queen of Kauai, who was a distant relative, and 
Kaeo, who was of closer kinship, and related to them the story 
of Kahekili's merciless operations on Oahu. He sought to cre- 
ate an active sympathy in favor of the unfortunate Oahuans, but 
Kaeo was too sagacious to place himself in hostility to his war- 
like brother, who had extended his sway over all the islands be- 
tween Kauai and Hawaii. 



402 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 

However, Kaiana was kindly received at the court of Kauai, 
and given lands for his proper maintenance. But he could not 
remain quiet. While the clash of arms was heard on the other 
islands, he chafed under the restraints of his exile, and attempted 
to organize a force of warriors for a descent upon Oahu. Kaeo 
prevented the departure of the expedition, however, and a mutu- 
al feeling of suspicion and antagonism was soon developed be- 
tween him and his reckless and restless cousin. 

As the avenues to advancement through the chances of war 
seemed to be temporarily closed to him, Kaiana donned his best 
attire, gave entertainments and began vigorously to play the 
courtier. He first sought to supplant Kaeo in the affections of 
the queen. Failing in that, he next paid court to her daughter 
Kapuaamohu. The latter was disposed to regard his suit with 
favor, but Kaeo, through the pretended advice of a katcla, object- 
ed to the alliance, and in a spirit of recklessness Kaiana embarked 
in the ship Nootka for China late in 1787. That vessel, in the 
course of trade, touched at Kauai just as the fortunes of Kaiana 
seemed to be the most desperate, and Captain Meares was easily 
prevailed upon to permit the handsome Hawaiian to accompany 
him to the Asiatic coast. 

Arriving in Canton, Kaiana spent some months in studying 
the arts of war and mingling with the people of strange races, 
and in the latter part of 1788 returned in the Iphigenia to Kau- 
ai, bringing with him a very considerable supply of muskets, 
powder, lead and other munitions of war. As the manner in 
which he secured these supplies is not stated, we are constrained 
to believe that he must have taken with him to China a quantity 
of sandal-wood, which was readily marketable in that country. 

But Kaeo would not permit him to land on Kauai. The 
clouds had indicated approaching danger the day before, and 
Kaiana was told that he would be slain and sacrificed if his foot 
touched the shore. The vessel, therefore, sailed for Hawaii, 
where Kaiana landed and offered his services to Kamehameha. 
They were promptly accepted. His supply of arms and know- 
ledge of other lands rendered him a valuable ally at the time, and 
Kamehameha gave him an important command and took him 
into his fullest confidence. This was early in 1789, and, in the 
succeeding wars with Keoua, Kaiana became an active leader, 
as already mentioned. The knives, hatchets, axes and swords 



KAIANA, THE LAST OF THE HA W All AN KNIGHTS. 403, 

brought by him from China were found to be useful, but the 
fire-arms were generally of old patterns, and the most of them 
were soon rendered entirely unserviceable through the inability 
of the natives to keep them in repair. 



Very soon after her marriage Kaahumanu was detected in 
flagrant flirtations with certain chiefs whose business brought 
them to the court of her husband, and Kamehameha set a close 
watch upon her actions. This led to bitter words between them, 
and in time it became a matter of gossip that Kamehameha was 
jealous of his young wife. The arrival of Kaiana added another 
to the list of Kaahumanu's admirers, and in time another wrinkle 
to the stern face of her warrior-husband. Kaiana was one of the 
handsomest chiefs of his day, and Kaahumanu could not disguise 
her infatuation for him. But, whatever may have been the 
temptation, he was too discreet to awaken the jealousy of Kame- 
hameha, and was not displeased when he was despatched with an 
army against Keoua in the distant district of Kau. 

After the death of Kalaniopuu, in 1782, and the defeat and 
death of Kiwalao, the widow of the former, whose name was Ka- 
lola, left for Maui, taking with her the widow and infant daughter 
of Kiwalao. Kahekili, brother of Kalola, provided for the family 
and gave them his protection. After the conquest of Oahu by 
Kahekili he removed his court to that island, taking with him 
his sister and her family. In 1785 they returned to Maui with 
Kalanikupule, the son of Kahekili, who had been appointed vice- 
roy of the island, and there remained, principally at Olowalu, 
until 1790, when Kalanikupule was driven from Maui by Kame- 
hameha, and they sought refuge at Kalamaula, on the island of 
Molokai. 

Seeing his way clear to the conquest of the group, and anxious 
to ally himself to the superior blood which came through Kalola 
and Kiwalao, Kamehameha despatched a messenger to Molokai, 
requesting Kalola not to return to Oahu, but to place herself 
and family under his protection. Following the messenger to 
Molokai, and learning that Kalola was ill and not expected to re- 
cover, Kamehameha paid her a visit in person, and received the 



404 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 

assurance of the dying dowager that, when she passed away, her 
daughter and granddaughter should be his. 

The granddaughter was Keopuolani, then a girl of fourteen. 
She subsequently became the wife of Kamehameha and the 
mother of the ruling princes of his dynasty. In recognition of 
her superior rank Kamehameha always approached her on his 
knees, even after she had become his wife and he the undisputed 
sovereign of the group. Such was the deference invariably paid 
to rank at that time and earlier. 

Kalola did not live but a few days after her meeting with 
Kamehameha. At her death he manifested his sorrow by knock- 
ing out two of his front teeth, and then formally took charge 
of and removed to Hawaii her daughter and granddaughter, not 
only as a sacred legacy from Kalola, but as a token of reconcilia- 
tion and alliance between himself and the elder branch of the 
Keawe dynasty. 

Kaahumanu well understood the meaning of this reconcilia- 
tion, and it was with little pleasure that she welcomed Liliha and 
her daughter to Hawaii. She knew it was the purpose of Kame- 
hameha to marry Keopuolani as soon as she reached a proper 
age ; but she was childless and could urge no valid objection to 
the union. The thought of it, however, did not sweeten her tem- 
per or quicken her sense of propriety. She became more reck- 
less, and her husband more and more suspicious, until they finally 
separated, when Kaahumanu returned to her father, where she 
remained for more than a year, and where, it is said, Kaiana 
frequently visited her. 

Of these visits Kamehameha was apprised by Kepupuohi, the 
wife of Kaiana, of whom tradition makes but spare mention. 
She was jealous of her husband's attentions to Kaahumanu, and 
it was through her that Kamehameha became aware of their se- 
cret meetings. His spies had overlooked what the jealous eyes 
of the wife had discovered, and it is intimated that they retaliated 
in kind upon the recreant couple. Be that as it may, Kameha- 
meha sent for Kaahumanu, and through the offices of Captain 
Vancouver, whose vessel was at that time anchored in Kealakea- 
kua Bay, a reconciliation was effected between them. 

But Kamehameha did not forgive Kaiana. His thoughts were 
bent upon the conquest of Oahu, and he needed his assistance in 
that important enterprise ; but he determind to crush him when- 



KAIANA, THE LAST OF THE HA W All AN KNIGHTS. 405 

ever he could do so without injury to himself. Kaiana felt 
tlie coldness of his chief, and had observed unmistakable 
evidences of his hatred ; but he neglected no duty, and re- 
solved that, if an open rupture could not be avoided, Kame- 
hameha should not be in a position to urge a reason for it that 
would command the respect and approval of his supporting 
chiefs. 

Summoning his district chiefs to muster their quotas of 
canoes and armed men, Kamehameha prepared for the conquest 
of Oahu and a final struggle for the mastery of the group. It is 
said that his army numbered sixteen thousand warriors, some of 
them armed with muskets, and that so great was the number of 
his canoes that they almost blackened the channels through 
which they passed. 

The army embarked from Hawaii early in 1795, and, after 
touching at Lahaina for refreshments, landed for final prepara- 
tion on Molokai, the fleet of canoes being distributed for miles 
along the coast. Kaiana had promptly responded to the call 
of his chief, and was there with a heavy quota of warriors and 
canoes. 

A council of war was called at Kaunakakai to discuss the 
plans of the campaign, but Kaiana was not invited to participate 
in its proceedings. His exclusion from the council alarmed 
Kaiana, and he suspected that he was the principal subject of 
discussion. He left his quarters, and calling at the house of 
Namahana, the mother of Kaahumanu, learned from her that the 
council was discussing some private matter, the nature of which 
she did not know. He next visited Kalaimoku, after the ad- 
journment of the council, and endeavored to ascertain what had 
been done, but the answers of the chief were evasive and unsatis- 
factory. He did not dare to tell Kaiana, who was allied to him 
in blood, that Kamehameha had charged Kaiana before the 
council with meditated treason, which implied his death, and 
that his advisers had prevailed upon him to allow the matter 
to rest until after the conquest of Oahu. 

On his way back to Hamiloloa, where his warriors were en- 
camped, Kaiana again passed the house of Namahana. It was 
past sunset, and he was striding through the dying twilight, his 
thoughts a tumult of doubt and indignation, when from behind a 
clump of bushes he heard his name pronounced in a low tone. 



406 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 

He stopped and listened, and " Kaiana ! " again came to him in 
a soft voice. 

Fearful of treachery, he hesitated for a moment, then drew a 
knife from a scabbard hanging from his neck, and cautiously 
walked around the screening undergrowth. 

" Who calls ? " inquired Kaiana, observing a crouching figure 
among the bushes. 

" Your friend," was the answer ; and Kaahumanu rose and 
stood before him. 

What passed between them can only be conjectured ; but 
Kaahumanu must have satisfied Kaiana of Kamehameha's hos- 
tile purposes concerning him, for when he reached his quarters 
he promptly informed his brother Nahiolea of the danger await- 
ing both of them, and apprised him of his resolution to abandon 
Kamehameha on the passage to Oahu and join forces with Ka- 
lanikupule. " The movement is hazardous," explained Kaiana, 
" but it will enable us, at least, to die like chiefs, with arms in our 
hands, instead of being slain like dogs." 

As the several divisions were preparing to embark for Oahu 
the next morning, Kaiana visited the squadron of canoes set 
apart for the accommodation of the wives and daughters of Ka- 
mehameha and his principal chiefs, and secretly informed his 
wife of his purpose to join Kalanikupule. She expressed sur- 
prise at the announcement, but declined to follow him, declaring 
that she preferred to cast her fortunes with Kamehameha. 
" But," she continued, bitterly, " perhaps Kaahumanu would fol-^ 
low you, if asked to do so ! " Kaiana made no reply to this cut- 
ting suggestion, but waved his wife a hasty farewell, and joined 
his embarking warriors. 

The other divisions of the invading army were well out to sea 
before Kaiana's sails were set, and he found no difficulty in mak- 
ing his way unobserved to Kailua, on the northern side of the 
island, while Kamehameha landed with the main body of his 
forces in the neighborhood of Honolulu, his canoes extending: 
along the beach from Waialae to Waikiki. 

Disembarking his warriors at Kailua, to the number of per- 
haps fifteen hundred, Kaiana offered his services to Kalanikupule,, 
whose army was rapidly occupying positions in the valleys back 
of Honolulu. The moi received him with open arms, promising 
him the sovereignty of Maui should they succeed in destroying. 



KAIANA , THE LAST OF THE HA WAIIAN KNIGHTS. 40 7 

Kamehameha ; and the united armies, climbing over the Nuua- 
nu and Kalihi passes, confronted the advancing lines of Kame- 
hameha. 

Learning of the desertion of Kaiana and the warriors under 
his command, Kamehameha exhibited but little surprise. He 
did not doubt his ability to defeat the combined armies of his 
opponents, for the auguries had been favorable and he had faith 
in his gods ; nor did he regret that through his defection Kaiana 
had at last placed himself in a position to be dealt with as an 
open enemy. 

With his war-god Kaili in the van, Kamehameha, at the head 
of a mighty force, marched up Nuuanu Valley, where, three miles 
back of Honolulu, behind a stone wall stretching from one hill 
to the other of the narrowing gorge, was entrenched the main 
body of the allied armies. And behind the wall stood Kaiana, 
grim, silent and desperate, with a musket in his hand, awaiting 
the approach of Kamehameha. 

Nearer and nearer advanced the attacking column, with 
shouts that were repaid by yells of defiance from behind the 
defences. A few volleys of musketry were exchanged by the 
hundred or more of warriors in possession of fire-arms on 
each side, but Kaiana took no part in the noisy conflict. He 
was watching for the approach of one whose life he longed for 
more than all the rest, and for which he was willing to exchange 
his own. 

But he watched in vain. A field-piece, under the direction of 
John Young, was brought to bear upon the wall, and Kaiana fell 
with the first shot, mortally wounded. After a few more shots 
the Hawaiians charged up the hill, their shouts drowning the roar 
of the breakers against the reef below. Kaiana drew himself up 
against the wall. His heart had been laid almost bare, and his 
eyes were growing dim. With an effort he raised his musket, 
fired it at random in the direction of the storming column, hop- 
ing the bullet might by chance find the heart of Kamehameha, 
and then fell dead. 

The rout of the Oahuans and their allies was complete. They 
broke and fled in all directions. Some were driven over the/a//, 
a precipice six or seven hundred feet in height at the head of the 
valley, and others escaped over the hills. Kalanikupule found 
refuge for a time in the mountains, but he was finally captured, 



408 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 

slain and offered as a sacrifice to Kamehameha's war-god at 
Waikiki. 

This was the last battle of the conquest, and the victory gave 
to Kamehameha the sovereignty of the group, for the king of 
Kauai, recognizing his power, soon after yielded to him his peace- 
ful allegiance. But it brought to a close the career of one of the 
most noted of modern Hawaiian chiefs — Kaiana-a-Ahaula — over 
whose death Kamehameha rejoiced, and Kaahumanu mourned 
in silence. Her love proved fatal to more than one, but he was 
the grandest and brightest of all who perished by the sweet 
poison of her smiles. 



Kaala, the Flower of Lanai. 



CHARACTERS. 

Kamehameha I., king of Hawaii. 
Oponui, a chief of Lanai. 
Kaala, daughter of Oponui. 
Kalani, mother of Kaala. 
Kaaialii, a lieutenant of the king. 
MiLOU, the bone-breaker. 
Ua, a friend of Kaala. 
Papakua, a priest. 



KAALA, THE FLOWER OF LANAI. 

A STORY OF THE SPOUTING CAVE OF PALIKAHOLO. 
I. 

BENEATH one of the boldest of the rocky bluffs against 
which dash the breakers of Kaumalapau Bay, on the little 
island of Lanai, is the Puhio-Kaala, or " Spouting Cave of Kaala." 
The only entrance to it is through the vortex of a whirlpool, which 
marks the place where, at intervals, the receding waters rise in a 
column of foam above the surface. Within, the floor of the cave 
gradually rises from the opening beneath the waters until a land- 
ing is reached above the level of the tides, and to the right and 
left, farther than the eye can penetrate by the dim light strug- 
gling through the surging waves, stretch dank and shelly shores, 
where crabs, polypii, sting-rays and other noisome creatures of 
the deep find protection against their larger enemies. 

This cavern was once a favorite resort of Mooalii, the great 
lizard-god ; but as the emissaries of Uk(^nipo, the shark-god, an- 
noyed him greatly and threatened to imprison him within it by 
piling a mountain of rocks against the opening, he abandoned it 
and found a home in a cave near Kaulapapa, in the neighboring 
island of Molokai, where many rude temples were erected to him 
by the fishermen. 

Before the days of Kamehameha I. resolute divers fre- 
quently visited the Spouting Cave, and on one occasion fire, en- 
closed in a small calabash, was taken down through the whirl- 
pool, with the view of making a light and exploring its mysterious 
chambers ; but the fire was scattered and extinguished by an un- 
seen hand, and those who brought it hastily retreated to escape a 
shower of rocks sent down upon them from the roof of the cav- 
ern. The existence of the cave is still known, and the whirlpool 
and spouting column marking the entrance to it are pointed out ; 
but longer and longer have grown the intervals between the vis- 
its of divers to its sunless depths, until the present generation can 



41 2 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 

point to not more than one, perhaps, who has ventured to enter 
them. 

Tradition has brought down the outlines of a number of su- 
pernatural and romantic stories connected with the Spouting 
Cave, but the nearest complete and most recent of these mookaaos 
is the legend of Kaala, the flower of Lanai, which is here given 
at considerably less length than native narration accords it. 

It was during an interval of comparative quiet, if not of peace, 
in the stormy career of Kamehameha I., near the close of the 
last century, and after the battle of Maunalei, that he went with 
his court to the island of Lanai for a brief season of recreation. 
The visit was not made for the purpose of worshipping at the great 
heiau of Kaunola, which was then half in ruins, or at any of the 
lesser temples scattered here and there over the little island, and 
dedicated, in most instances, to fish-gods. He went to Kealia 
simply to enjoy a few days of rest away from the scenes of his 
many conflicts, and feast for a time upon the affluent fishing- 
grounds of that locality. 

He made the journey with six double canoes, all striped with 
yellow, and his own bearing the royal ensign. He took with 
him his war-god, Kaili, and a small army of attendants, consist- 
ing of priests, kahunas, kahili and spittoon-bearers, stewards, 
cooks and other household servants, as well as a retinue of dis- 
tinguished chiefs with their personal retainers in their own ca- 
noes, and a hundred warriors in the capacity of a royal guard. 

Landing, the victorious chief was received with enthusiasm 
by the five or six thousand people then inhabiting the island. 
He took up his residence in the largest of the several cottages 
provided for him and his personal attendants. Provisions were 
brought in abundance, and flowers and sweet-scented herbs and 
vines were contributed without stint. The chief and his titled 
attendants were garlanded with them. They were strewn in his 
path, cast at his door and thrown upon his dwelling, until their 
fragrance seemed to fill all the air. 

Among the many who brought offerings of flowers was the 
beautiful Kaala, " the sweet-scented flower of Lanai," as she was 
called. She was a girl of fifteen, and in grace and beauty had 
no peer on the island. She was the daughter of Oponui, a chief 
of one of the lower grades, and her admirers were counted by 
the hundreds. Of the many who sought her as a wife was Mai- 



KAALA, THE FLOWER OF LANAI. 413 

lou, " the bone-breaker." He was a huge, muscular savage, ca- 
pable of crushing almost any ordinary man in an angry embrace ; 
and while Kaala hated, feared and took every occasion to avoid 
him, her father favored his suit, doubtless pleased at the thought 
of securing in a son-in-law a friend and champion so distinguish- 
ed for his strength and ferocity. 

As Kaala scattered flowers before the chief her graceful 
movements and modesty were noted by Kaaialii, and when he 
saw her face he was enraptured with its beauty. Although 
young in years, he was one of Kamehameha's most valued lieu- 
tenants, and had distinguished himself in many battles. He was 
of chiefly blood and bearing, with sinewy limbs and a handsome 
face, and when he stopped to look into the eyes of Kaala and tell 
her that she was beautiful, she thought the words, although they 
had been frequently spoken to her by others, had never sounded 
so sweetly to her before. He asked her for a simple flower, and 
she twined a lei for his neck. He asked her for a smile, and she 
looked up into his face and gave him her heart. 

They saw each other the next day, and the next, and then 
Kaaialii went to his chief and said ; 

" I love the beautiful Kaala, daughter of Oponui. Your will 
is law. Give her to me for a wife." 

For a moment Kamehameha smiled without speaking, and 
then replied : 

" The girl is not mine to give. We must be just. I will 
send for her father. Come to-morrow." 

Kaaialii had hoped for a different answer ; but neither pro- 
test nor further explanation was admissible, and all he could do 
was to thank the king and retire. 

A messenger brought Oponui to the presence of Kameha- 
meha. He was received kindly, and told that Kaaialii loved 
Kaala and desired to make her his wife. The information kin- 
dled the wrath of Oponui. He hated Kaaialii, but did not dare 
to exhibit his animosity before the king. He was in the battle 
of Maunalei, where he narrowly escaped death at the hands of 
Kaaialii, after his spear had found the heart of one of his dearest 
friends, and he felt that he would rather give his daughter to the 
sharks than to one who had sought his life and slain his friend. 
But he pretended to regard the proposal with favor, and, in 
answer to the king, expressed regret that he had promised his 



4 1 4 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 

daughter to Mailou, the bone-breaker. " However," he contin- 
ued, " in respect to the interest which it has pleased you, great 
chief, to take in the matter, I am content that the girl shall fall 
to the victor in a contest with bare hands between Mailou and 
Kaaialii." 

The proposal seemed to be fair, and, not doubting that Kaaialii 
would promptly accept it, the king gave it his approval, and the 
contest was fixed for the day following. Oponui received the 
announcement with satisfaction, not doubting that Mailou would 
crush Kaaialii in his rugged embrace as easily as he had broken 
the bones of many an adversary. 

News of the coming contest spread rapidly, and the next day 
thousands of persons assembled at Kealia to witness it. Kaala 
was in an agony of fear. The thought of becoming the wife of 
the bone-breaker almost distracted her, for it was said that 
he had had many wives, all of whom had disappeared one after 
another as he tired of them, and the whisper was that he had 
crushed and thrown them into the sea. And, besides, she loved 
Kaaialii, and deemed it scarcely possible that he should be able 
to meet and successfully combat the prodigious strength and 
ferocity of one who had never been subdued. 

As Kaaialii was approaching the spot where the contest was 
to take place, in the presence of Kamehameha and his court and 
a large concourse of less distinguished spectators, Kaala sprang 
from the side of her father, and, seizing the young chief by the 
hand, exclaimed : 

"You have indeed slain my people in war, but rescue me 
from the horrible embrace of the bone-breaker, and I will catch 
the squid and beat the kapa for you all my days ! " 

With a dark frown upon his face, Oponui tore the girl from 
her lover before he could reply. Kaaialii followed her with his 
eyes until she disappeared among the spectators, and then 
pressed forward through the crowd and stepped- within the circle 
reserved for the combatants. Mailou was already there. He 
was indeed a muscular brute, with long arms, broad shoulders 
and mighty limbs tattooed with figures of sharks and birds of 
pray. He was naked to the loins, and, as Kaaialii approached, 
his fingers opened and closed, as if impatient to clutch and tear 
his adversary in pieces. 

Although less bulky than the bone-breaker, Kaaialii was large 



KAALA, THE FLOWER OF LANAI. 415 

and perfectly proportioned, with well-knit muscles and loins and 
shoulders suggestive of unusual strength. Nude, with the excep- 
tion of a maro, he was a splendid specimen of vigorous man- 
hood ; but, in comparison with those of the bone-breaker, his 
limbs appeared to be frail and feminine, and a general expres- 
sion of sympathy for the young chief was observed in the faces 
of the large assemblage as they turned from him to the sturdy 
giant he was about to encounter. 

The contest was to be one of strength, courage, agility and 
skill combined. Blows with the clenched fist, grappling, strang- 
ling, tearing, breaking and every other injury which it was pos- 
sible to inflict were permitted. In hakoko (wrestling) and moko 
(boxing) contests certain rules were usually observed, in order 
that fatal injuries might be avoided ; but in the combat between 
Kaaialii and Mailou no rule or custom was to govern. It was 
to be a savage struggle to the death. 

Taunt and boasting are the usual prelude to personal conflicts 
among the uncivilized ; nor was it deemed unworthy the Saxon 
knight to meet his adversary with insult and bravado. The ob- 
ject was not more to unnerve his opponent than to steel his own 
courage. With the bone-breaker, however, there was little fear 
or doubt concerning the result. He knew the measure of his 
own prodigious strength, and, with a malignant smile that laid 
bare his shark-like teeth, he glared with satisfaction upon his 
rival. 

" Ha ! ha ! " laughed the bone-breaker, taking a stride to- 
ward Kaaialii ; " so yoti are the insane youth who has dared to 
meet Mailou in combat ! Do you know who I am ? I am the 
bone-breaker ! In my hands the limbs of men are like tender 
cane. Come, and with one hand let me strangle you ! " 

"You will need both!" replied Kaaialii. "I know you. 
You are a breaker of the bones of women, not of men ! You 
speak brave words, but have the heart of a coward. Let the 
word be given, and if you do not run from me to save your life, 
as I half-suspect you will, I will put my foot upon your broken 
neck before you find time to cry for mercy ! " 

Before Mailou could retort the word was given, and with an 
exclamation of rage he sprang at the throat of Kaaialii. Feign- 
ing as if to meet the shock, the latter waited until the hands of 
Mailou were almost at his throat, when with a quick movement 



4 1 6 THE LEGENDS AND M YTHS OF HA WAIT. 

he struck them up, swayed his body to the left, and with his right 
foot adroitly tripped his over-confident assailant. The momen- 
tum of Mailou was so great that he fell headlong to the earth. 
Springing upon him before he could rise, Kaaialii seized his 
right arm, and with a vigorous blow of the foot broke the bone 
below the elbow. Rising and finding his right arm useless, 
Mailou attempted to grapple his adversary with the left, but a 
well-delivered blow felled him again to the earth, and Kaaialii 
broke his left arm as he had broken the right. Regaining his 
feet, and unable to use either hand, with a wild howl of despair 
the bone-breaker rushed upon Kaaialii, with the view of dealing 
him a blow with his bent head ; but the young chief again trip- 
ped him as he passed, and, seizing him by the hair as he fell, 
placed his knees against the back of his prostrate foe and broke 
his spine. 

This, of course, ended the struggle, and Kaaialii was declared 
the victor, amidst the plaudits of the spectators and the con- 
gratulations of Kamehameha and the court. Breaking from her 
father, who was grievously disappointed at the unlooked-for 
result, and who sought to detain her, Kaala sprang through the 
crowd and threw herself into the arms of Kaaialii. Oponui 
would have protested, and asked that his daughter might be per- 
mitted to visit her mother before becoming the wife of Kaaialii ; 
but the king put an end to his hopes by placing the hand of 
Kaala in that of the victorious chief, and saying to him : 

" You have won her nobly. She is now your wife. Take her 
with you." 

Although silenced by the voice of the king, and compelled to 
submit to the conditions of a contest which he had himself pro- 
posed, Oponui's hatred of Kaaialii knew no abatement, and all 
that day and the night following he sat alone by the sea-shore, 
devising a means by which Kaala and her husband might be 
separated. He finally settled upon a plan. 

The morning after her marriage Oponui visited Kaala, as if 
he had just returned from Mahana, where her mother was sup- 
posed to be then living. He greeted her with apparent affection, 
and was profuse in his expressions of friendship for Kaaialii. 
He embraced them both, and said : " I now'see that you love 
each other ; my prayer is that you may live long and happily 
together." He then told Kaala that Kalani, her mother, was 



KAALA, THE FLOWER OF LANAI. 417 

lying dangerously ill at Mahana, and, believing that she would 
not recover, desired to see and bless her daughter before she 
died. Kaala believed the story, for her father wept when he told 
it, and moaned as if for the dead, and beat his breast ; and, with 
many protestations of love, Kaaialii allowed her to depart with 
Oponui, with the promise from both of them that she would 
speedily return to the arms of her husband. 

With some misgivings, Kaaialii watched her from the top of 
the hill above Kealia until she descended into the valley of 
Palawai. There leaving the path that led to Mahana, they jour- 
neyed toward the bay of Kaumalapau. Satisfied that her father 
was for some purpose deceiving her, Kaala protested and was 
about to return, when he acknowledged that her mother was not 
ill at Mahana, as he had represented to Kaaialii in order to 
secure his consent to her departure, but at the sea-shore, where 
she had gathered crabs, shrimps, limpets and other delicacies, 
and prepared a feast in celebration of her marriage. 

Reassured by the plausible story, and half-disposed to pardon 
the deception admitted by her father, Kaala proceeded with him 
to the sea-shore. She saw that her mother was not there, and 
heard no sound but the beating of the waves against the rocks. 
She looked up into the face of her father for an explanation ; but 
his eyes were cold, and a cruel smile upon his lips told her better 
than words that she had been betrayed. 

"Where is my mother?" she inquired; and then bitterly 
added : "I do not see her fire by the shore. Must we search for 
her among the sharks ? " 

Oponui no longer sought to disguise his real purpose. "Hear 
the truth ! " he said, with a wild glare in his eyes that whitened 
the lips of Kaala. " The shark shall be your mate, but he will 
not harm you. You shall go to his home, but he will not devour 
you. Down among the gods of the sea I will leave you until 
Kaaialii, hated by me above all things that breathe, shall have 
left Lanai, and then I will bring you back to earth ! " 

Terrified at these words, Kaala screamed and sought to fly ; 
but her heartless father seized her by the hand and dragged her 
along the shore until they reached a bench of the rocky bluff 
overlooking the opening to the Spouting Cave. Oponui was 
among the few who had entered the cavern through its gate of 
circling waters, and he did not for a moment doubt that within 



4 1 8 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIl. 

its gloomy walls, where he was about to place her, Kaala would 
remain securely hidden until such time as he might choose to 
restore her to the light. 

Standing upon the narrow ledge above the entrance to the 
cave, marked by alternate whirlpool and receding column, Kaala 
divined the barbarous purpose of her father, and implored him to 
give her body to the sharks at once rather than leave her living 
in the damp and darkness of the Spouting Cave, to be tortured 
by the slimy and venomous creatures of the sea. 

Deaf to her entreaties, Oponui watched until the setthng 
column went down into the throat of the whirlpool, when he 
gathered the frantic and struggling girl in his arms and sprang 
into the circling abyss. Sinking a fathom or more below the 
surface, and impelled by a strong current setting toward the 
mouth of the cave, he soon found and was swept through the 
entrance, and in a few moments stood upon a rocky beach in 
the dim twilight of the cavern, with the half-unconscious Kaala 
clinging to his neck. 

The only light penetrating the cave was the little refracted 
through the waters, and every object that was not too dark to be 
seen looked greenish and ghostly. Crabs, eels, sting-rays and 
other noisome creatures of the deep were crawling stealthily 
among the rocks, and the dull thunder of the battling waves was 
the only sound that could be distinguished. 

Disengaging her arms, he placed her upon the beach above 
the reach of the waters, and then sat down beside her to re- 
cover his breath and wait for a retreating current to bear him to 
the surface. Reviving, Kaala looked around her with horror, and 
piteously implored her father not to leave her in that dreadful 
place beneath the waters. 

For some time he made no reply, and then it was to tell her 
harshly that she might return with him if she would promise to 
accept the love of the chief of Olowalu, in the valley of Palawai, 
and allow Kaaialii to see her in the embrace of another. This 
she refused to do, declaring that she would perish in the cave, or 
the attempt to leave it, rather than be liberated on such mon- 
strous conditions. 

''Then here you will remain," said Oponui, savagely, "until I 
return, or the chief of Olowalu comes to bear you off to his home 
in Maui ! " Then, rising to his feet, he continued hastily, as he 



KAALA, THE FLOWER OF LANAL 419 

noted a turn in the current at the opening : "You cannot escape 
without assistance. If you attempt it you will be dashed against 
the rocks and become the food of sharks." 

With this warning Oponui turned and plunged into the water. 
Diving and passing with the current through the entrance, he 
was borne swiftly to the surface and to his full length up into the 
spouting column ; but he coolly precipitated himself into the 
surrounding waters, and with a few strokes of the arms reached 
the shore. 

II. 



Kaaialii watched the departure of Kaala and her father until 
they disappeared in the valley of Palawai, and then gloomily re- 
turned to his hut. His fears troubled him. He thought of his 
beautiful Kaala, and his heart ached for her warm embrace. 
Then he thought of the looks and words of Oponui, and recalled 
in both a suggestion of deceit. Thus harassed with his thoughts, 
he spent the day in roaming alone among the hills, and the fol- 
lowing night in restless slumber, with dreams of death and tor- 
ture. The portentous cry of an alae roused him from his kapa- 
moe before daylight, and until the sun rose he sat watching the 
stars. Then he climbed the hill overlooking the valley of Pa- 
lawai to watch for the return of Kaala, and wonder what could 
have detained her so long. He watched until the sun was well 
up in the heavens, feeling neither thirst nor hunger, and at length 
saw 2ipau fluttering in the wind far down the valley. 

A woman was rapidly approaching, and his heart beat with 
joy, for he thought she was Kaala. Nearer and nearer she came, 
and Kaaialii, still hopeful, ran down to the path to meet her. 
Her step was light and her air graceful, and it was not until he 
had opened his arms to receive her that he saw that #ie girl was 
not Kaala. She was Ua, the friend of Kaala, and almost her 
equal in beauty. They had been reared together, and in their 
love for each other were like sisters. They loved the same flow- 
ers, the same wild songs of the birds, the same paths among 
the hills, and, now that Kaala loved Kaaialii, Ua loved him 
a-lso. 

Recognizing Kaaialii as she approached, Ua stopped before 
him, and bent her eyes to the ground without speaking. 



420 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIT. 

" Where is Kaala ? " inquired Kaaialii, raising the face of Ua 
and staring eagerly into it. " Have you seen her ? Has any ill 
come to her ? Speak ! " 

" I have not seen her, and know of no ill that has befallen her," 
replied the girl ; "but I have come to tell you that Kaala has not 
yet reached the hut of Kalani, her mother ; and as Oponui, with 
a dark look in his face, was seen to lead her through the forest of 
Kumoku, it is feared that she has been betrayed and will not be 
allowed to return to Kealia." 

" And that, too, has been my fear since the moment I lost 
sight of her in the valley of Palawai," said Kaaialii. "I should 
not have trusted her father, for I knew him to be treacherous 
and unforgiving. May the wrath of the gods follow him if harm 
has come to her through his cruelty ! But I will find her if she 
is on the island ! The gods have given her to me, and in life or 
death she shall be mine ! " 

Terrified at the wild looks and words of Kaaialii, Ua clasped 
her hands in silence. 

" Hark ! " he continued, bending his ear toward the valley. 
" It seems that I hear her calling for me now ! " And with an 
exclamation of rage and despair Kaaialii started at a swift pace 
down the path taken by Kaala the day before. As he hurried 
onward, he saw, at intervals, the footprints of Kaala in the dust, 
and every imprint seemed to increase his speed. 

Reaching the point where the Mahana path diverged from the 
somewhat broader ala of the valley, he followed it for some dis- 
tance hoping that Ua had been misinformed, and that Kaala had 
really visited her mother and might be found with her ; but 
when he looked for and failed to find the marks of her feet 
where in reason they should have been seen had she gone to Ma- 
hana with her father, he returned and continued his course down 
the valley. 

Suddenly he stopped. The footprints for which he was 
watching had now disappeared from the Palawai path, and for a 
moment he stood looking irresolutely around, as if in doubt con- 
cerning the direction next to be pursued. In his uncertainty 
several plans of action presented themselves. One was, to see 
what information could be gathered from Kaala's mother at Ma- 
hana, another to follow the Palawai valley to the sea, and a 
third to return to Kealia and consult a kaula. While these 



KAALA, THE FLOWER OF LANAI. 42 I 

various suggestions were being rapidly canvassed, and before 
any conclusion could be reached, the figure of a man was seen 
approaching from the valley below. 

Kaaialii secreted himself behind a rock, where he could watch 
the path without being seen. The man drew nearer and nearer, 
until at last Kaaialii was enabled to distinguish the features of 
Oponui, of all men the one whom he most desired to meet. His 
muscles grew rigid with wrath, and his hot breath burned the 
rock behind which he was crouching. He buried his fingers in the 
earth to teach them patience, and clenched his teeth to keep down 
a struggling exclamation of vengeance. And so he waited until 
Oponui reached a curve in the path which brought him, in passing, 
within a few paces of the eyes that were savagely glaring upon him, 
and the next moment the two men stood facing each other. 

Startled at the unexpected appearance of Kaaialii, Oponui 
betrayed his guilt at once by attempting to fly ; but, with the cry 
of " Give me Kaala ! " Kaaialii sprang forward and endeavored 
to seize him by the throat. 

A momentary struggle followed ; but Oponui was scarcely less 
powerful than his adversary, and, his shoulders being bare, he 
succeeded in breaking from the grasp of Kaaialii and seeking 
safety in flight toward Kealia. 

With a cry of disappointment, Kaaialii started in pursuit. 
Both were swift of foot, and the race was like that of a hungry 
shark following his prey. One was inspired by fear and the 
other with rage, and every muscle of the runners was strained. 
Leaving the valley path, Oponui struck for Kealia by a shorter 
course across the hills. He hoped the roughness of the route 
and his better knowledge of it would give him an advantage ; 
but Kaaialii kept closely at his heels. On they sped, up and 
down hills, across ravines and along rocky ridges, until they 
reached Kealia, when Oponui suddenly turned to the left and 
made a dash for the temple anApuhonua not far distant. Kaaia- 
lii divined his purpose, and with a last supreme effort sought to 
thwart it. Gaining ground with every step, he made a desperate 
grasp at the shoulder of Oponui just as the latter sprang through 
the entrance and dropped to the earth exhausted within the pro- 
tecting walls of the puho7iua. Kaaialii attempted to follow, but 
two priests promptly stepped into the portal and refused to allow 
him to pass. 



42 2 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAII. 

" Stand out of the way, or I will strangle you both ! " ex- 
claimed Kaaialii, fiercely, as he threw himself against the guards. 

" Are you insane ? " said another long-haired priest, stepping 
forward with a iai>u staff in his hand. " Do you not know that 
this is SLpu/ionua, sacred to all who seek its protection ? Would 
you bring down upon yourself the wrath of the gods by shedding 
blood within its walls ? " 

" If I may not enter, then drive him forth ! " replied Kaaialii, 
pointing toward Oponui, who was lying upon the ground a few 
paces within, intently regarding the proceedings at the gate. 

" That cannot be," returned the priest. " Should he will to 
leave, the way will not be closed to him ; otherwise he may re- 
main in safety." 

" Coward ! " cried Kaaialii, addressing Oponui in a taunting 
tone. "Is it thus that you seek protection from the anger of 
an unarmed man ? A pau would better become you than a 
maro. You should twine Zeis and beat kapa with women, and 
think no more of the business of men. Come without the 
walls, if your trembling limbs will bear you, and I will serve 
you as I did your friend, the breaker of women's bones. Come, 
and I will tear from your throat the tongue that lied to Kaala, 
and feed it to the dogs ! " 

A malignant smile wrinkled the face of Oponui, as he thought 
of Kaala in her hiding-place under the sea, but he made no 
reply. 

"Do you fear me?" continued Kaaialii. " Then arm your- 
self with spear and battle-axe, and with bare hands I will meet 
and strangle you ! " 

Oponui remained silent, and in a paroxysm of rage and 
disappointment Kaaialii threw himself upon the ground and 
cursed the Zaht that barred him from his enemy. 

His friends found and bore him to his hut, and Ua, with 
gentle arts and loving hands, sought to soothe and comfort 
him. But he would not be consoled. He talked and thought 
alone of Kaala, and, hastily partaking of food that he might 
retain his strength, started again in search of her. Pitying his 
distress, Ua followed him — not closely, but so that she might 
not lose sight of him altogether. 

He traveled in every direction, stopping neither for food 
nor rest. Of every one he met he inquired for Kaala, and 



KAALA, THE FLOWER OF LANAI. 423 

called her name in the deep valleys and on the hill-tops. 
Wandering near the sacred spring at the head of the waters of 
Kealia, he met a white-haired priest bearing from the fountain 
a calabash of water for ceremonial use in one of the temples. 
The priest knew and feared him, for his looks were wild, and 
humbly offered him water. 

"I ask not for food or water, old man," said Kaaialii. "You 
are a priest^perhaps a kaula. Tell me where I can find Kaala, 
the daughter of Oponui, and I will pile your altars with sacri- 
fices ! " 

" Son of the long spear," replied the priest, " I know you seek 
the sweet-smelling flower of Palawai. Her father alone knows of 
her hiding-place. But it is not here in the hills, nor is it in the 
valleys. Oponui loves and frequents the sea. He hunts for the 
squid in dark places, and dives for the great fish in deep waters. 
He knows of cliffs that are hollow, and of caves with entrances 
below the waves. He goes alone to the rocky shore, and sleeps 
with the fish-gods, who are his friends. He — " 

" No more of him ! " interrupted the chief, impatiently. 
" Tell me what has become of Kaala ! " 

" Be patient, and you shall hear," resumed the priest. " In 
one of the caverns of the sea, known to Oponui and others, has 
Kaala been hidden. So I see her now. The place is dark and 
her heart is full of terror. Hasten to her. Be vigilant, and you 
will find her ; but sleep not, or she will be the food of the crea- 
tures of the sea." 

Thanking the priest, Kaaialii started toward the bay of Kau- 
malapau, followed by the faithful Ua, and did not rest until he 
stood upon the bluff of Palikaholo, overlooking the sea. Wildly 
the waves beat against the rocks. Looking around, he could dis- 
cern no hiding-place along the shore, and the thunder of the 
breakers and the screams of the sea-gulls were the only sounds 
to be heard. In despair he raised his voice and wildly ex- 
claimed : 

" Kaala I O Kaala ! where are you ? Do you sleep with the 
fish-gods, and must I seek you in their homes among the sunken 
shores ? " 

The bluff where he was standing overlooked and was imme- 
diately above the Spouting Cave, from the submerged entrance 
to which a column of water was rising above the surface and 



424 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAII. 

breaking into spray. In the mist of the upheaval he thought he 
saw the shadowy face and form of Kaala, and in the tumult of 
the rushing waters fancied that he heard her voice calling him to 
come to her. 

" Kaala, I come ! " he exclaimed, and with a wild leap sprang 
from the cliff to clasp the misty form of his bride. 

He sank below the surface, and, as the column disappeared 
with him and he returned no more, Ua wailed upon the winds a 
requiem of love and grief in words like these : 

" Oh ! dead is Kaaialii, the young chief of Hawaii, 
The chief of few years and many battles ! 
His limbs were strong and his heart was gentle ; 
His face was like the sun, and he was without fear. 
Dead is the slayer of the bone-breaker ; 
Dead is the chief who crushed the bones of Mailou ; 
Dead is the lover of Kaala and the loved of Ua. 
For his love he plunged into the deep waters ; 
For his love he gave his life. Who is like Kaaialii ? 
Kaala is hidden away, and I am lonely ; 
Kaaialii is dead, and the black kapa is over my heart: 
Now let the gods take the life of Ua !" 

With a last look at the spot where Kaaialii had disappeared, 
Ua hastened to Kealia, and at the feet of Kamehameha told of 
the rash act of the despairing husband of Kaala. The king was 
greatly grieved at the story of Ua, for he loved the young chief 
almost as if he had been his son. " It is useless to search for the 
body of Kaaialii," he said, "for the sharks have eaten it." Then, 
turning to one of his chiefs, he continued : " No pile can be 
raised over his bones. Send for Ualua, the poet, that a chant 
may be made in praise of Kaaialii." 

Approaching nearer, Papakua, a priest, requested permission 
to speak. It was granted, and he said : 

" Let me hope that my words may be of comfort. I have 
heard the story of Ua, and cannot believe that the young chief is 
dead. The spouting waters into which Kaaialii leaped mark the 
entrance to the cave of Palikaholo. Following downward the 
current, has he not been drawn into the cavern, where he has 
found Kaala, and may still be living? Such, at least, is my 
thought, great chief." 

" A wild thought, indeed ! " replied the king ; " yet there is 



KAALA, THE FLOWER OF LANAI. 425 

some comfort in it, and we will see how much of truth it may- 
reveal." 

Preparations were hastily made, and with four of his sturdiest 
oarsmen Kamehameha started around the shore for the Spouting 
Cave under the bluff of Palikaholo, preceded by Ua in a canoe 
with Keawe, her brother. 

III. 

When Kaaialii plunged into the sea he had little thought of 
anything but death. Grasping at the spouting column as he 
descended, it seemed to sink with him to the surface, and even 
below it, and in a moment he felt himself being propelled down- 
ward and toward the cliff by a strong current. Recklessly yield- 
ing to the action of the waters, he soon discerned an opening in 
the submerged base of the bluff, and without an effort was drawn 
swiftly into it. The force of the current subsided, and to his 
surprise his head rose above the surface and he was able to 
breathe. His feet touched a rocky bottom, and he rose and 
looked around with a feeling of bewilderment. His first thought 
was that he was dead and had reached the dark shores of Po, 
where Milu, prince of death, sits enthroned in a grove of kou 
trees ; but he smote his breast, and by the smart knew that he 
was living, and had been borne by the waters into a cave beneath 
the cliff from which he had leaped to grasp the misty form of 
Kaala. 

Emerging from the water, Kaaialii found himself standing on 
the shore of a dimly-lighted cavern. The air was chilly, and 
slimy objects touched his feet, and others fell splashing into the 
water from the rocks. He wondered whether it would be pos- 
sible for him to escape from the gloomy place, and began to 
watch the movements of the waters near the opening, when a low 
moan reached his ear. 

It was the voice of Kaala. She was lying near him in the 
darkness on the slimy shore. Her limbs were bruised and lace- 
rated with her fruitless attempts to leave the cave, and she no 
longer possessed the strength to repel the crabs and other loath- 
some creatures that were drinking her blood and feeding upon 
her quivering flesh. 

" It is the wailing of the wind, or perhaps of some demon of 



426 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIT. 

the sea who makes this horrible place his home," thought Kaai- 
alii. 

He feared neither death nor its ministers ; yet something like 
a shudder possessed him as he held his breath and listened, but 
he heard nothing but the thunder of the breakers against the cav- 
ern walls. 

"Who speaks ?" he exclaimed, advancing a pace or two back 
into the darkness. 

A feeble moan, almost at his feet, was the response. 

Stooping and peering intently before him, he distinguished 
what seemed to be the outlines of a human form. Approaching 
and bending over it, he caught the murmur of his own name. 

" It is Kaala ! Kaaialii is here ! " he cried, as he tenderly 
folded her in his arms and bore her toward the opening. Seating 
himself in the dim light, he pushed back the hair from her cold 
face, and sought to revive her with caresses and words of endear- 
ment. She opened her eyes, and, nestling closer to his breast, 
whispered to the ear that was bent to her lips : 

" I am dying, but I am happy, for you are here." 

He sought to encourage her. He told her that he had come 
to save her ; that the gods, who loved her and would not let her 
die, had told him where to find her ; that he would take her to 
his home in Kohala, and always love her as he loved her then. 

She made no response. There was a sad smile upon her cold 
lips. He placed his hand upon her heart, and found that it had 
ceased to beat. She was dead, but he still held the precious 
burden in his arms ; and hour after hour he sat there on the 
gloomy shore of the cavern, seeing only the pallid face of Kaala, 
and feeling only that he was desolate. 

At length he was aroused by the splashing of water within the 
cave. He looked up, and Ua, the gentle and unselfish friend of 
Kaala, stood before him, followed a moment after by Kamehame- 
ha. The method of entering and leaving the cave was known 
to Keawe, and he imparted the information to his sister. Ua first 
leaped into the whirlpool, and the dauntless Kamehameha did 
not hesitate in following. 

As the king approached, Kaaialii rose to his feet and stood 
sadly before him. He uttered no word, but with bent head 
pointed to the body of Kaala. 

" I see," said the king, softly ; " the poor girl is dead. She 



KAALA, THE FLOWER OF LANAI. 427 

could have no better burial-place. Come, Kaaialii, let us leave 
it." 

Kaaialii did not move. It was the first time that he had ever 
hesitated in obeying the orders of his chief. 

" What ! would you remain here ? " said the king. " Would 
you throw your life away for a girl ? There are others as fair. 
Here is Ua ; she shall be your wife, and I will give you the valley 
of Palawai. Come, let us leave here at once, lest some angry god 
close the entrance against us ! " 

" Great chief," replied Kaaialii, "you have always been kind 
and generous to me, and never more so than now. But hear me. 
My life and strength are gone. Kaala was my life, and she is 
dead. How can I live without her ? You are my chief. You 
have asked me to leave this place and live. It is the first re- 
quest of yours that I have ever disobeyed. It shall be the last ! " 

Then seizing a stone, with a swift, strong blow he crushed in 
brow and brain, and fell dead upon the body of Kaala. 

A wail of anguish went up from Ua. Kamehameha spoke 
not, moved not. Long he gazed upon the bodies before him ; 
and his eye was moist and his strong lip quivered as, turning 
away at last, he said : " He loved her indeed ! " 

Wrapped in kapa, the bodies were laid side by side and left in 
the cavern ; and there to-day may be seen the bones of Kaala, 
the flower of Lanai, and of Kaaialii, her knightly lover, by such 
as dare to seek the passage to them through the whirlpool of 
Palikaholo. 

Meles of the story of the tragedy were composed and chanted 
before Kamehameha and his court at Kealia, and since then the 
cavern has been known as Puhio-kaala, or " Spouting Cave of 
Kaala." 



The Destruction of the Temples. 



CHARACTERS. 

LiHOLiHO (Kamehameha II.), king of the Hawaiian Islands. 

Keopuolani, the queen-mother, -j 

Kaahumanu, chief counselor, and >• widows of Kamehameha 

Kalakua, J 

Kalaimoku, prime minister. 

Kekuaokalani, the defender of the gods. 

Manono, wife of Kekuaokalani. 

Hewahewa, high-priest of Hawaii. 

HoAPiLi, guardian of the Princess Nahienaena. 

Naihe, counselor and orator. 

Kekuanaoa, treasurer of the king. 

Kapihe, commander of the national vessels. 

Laanui, a companion of the king. 



THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLES. 



THE LAST GREAT DEFENDER OF THE HAWAIIAN GODS. 



ON the'ist of October, 1819, a fleet of four canoes bearing 
the royal colors set sail from Kawaihae, in the district 
of Kohala, on the northwestern coast of Hawaii. The canoes 
were large and commodious, and were occupied by between 
sixty and seventy persons, a portion of whom were females. The 
most of the men were large, muscular and over six feet in height, 
while the dress and bearing of many of the women indicated that 
they were of the tabu and chiefly classes. 

The costumes of a number of those of both sexes who seemed 
to be of rank were a strange admixture of native and foreign 
fabric and fashion. American and European manufactures were 
beginning to find a market in the islands, and the persons of 
many were adorned with rich cloths, jewelry and other tokens of 
civilization. Their weapons and utensils were largely of metal, 
and a squad of ten warriors armed with muskets, in one of the 
canoes, showed that the white man's methods of warfare had re- 
ceived the early and earnest attention of the Hawaiian chiefs and 
leaders. 

The canoe leading the little squadron was double, with cov- 
ered apartments extending into and across the united decks of 
both, and the persons occupying it, with the exception of soldiers, 
sailors and servants, were distinguished alike for their gaudy 
trappings and a boisterous merriment infusing a feeling of jollity 
throughout the fleet. In this canoe was Liholiho, who, on the 
death of his distinguished father, Kamehameha I., something less 
than five months before, had become sole monarch of the Ha- 
waiian group. In addition to two of his queens, he was accom- 
panied by Kapihe, the commander of the royal vessels ; Keku- 
anaoa, the royal treasurer, and a retinue of chiefly friends and 
personal attendants. 

43' 



43 2 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS- OF" HA WAIL 

On the 8th of the previous May his royal father had died at 
Kailua, leaving to Liholiho the kingdom his arms had won, with 
Kaahumanu as second in authority and guardian of the realm. 
The morning following the death of his father Liholiho left Kai- 
lua for Kohala to avoid defilement, and there remained for ten 
days, when he returned to Kailua and formally assumed the 
sceptre. At the end of the season of mourning, for superstitious 
reasons the young king again left for Kohala, and took up his 
residence for a time at Kawaihae. Remaining there until the 
ist of October, on the advice of Kaahumanu he had started on 
his return to Kailua. 

During the brief residence of Liholiho at Kawaihae, Kaahu- 
manu inaugurated a vigorous conspiracy against the priesthood, 
and resolved to persuade the young king to repudiate the reli- 
gion and tabus of his fathers. In this scheme she was assisted by 
Keopuolani, the mother of Liholiho ; Kalaimoku, the prime min- 
ister, and Hewahewa, the high-priest, who claimed descent from 
the renowned Paao. 

In the latter part of the reign of the first Kamehameha the 
gods and tabus of the priesthood began to lose something of their 
sanctity in the estimation of the masses. Although the first 
Christian missionaries to the islands did not arrive until nearly a 
year after the death of Kamehameha I., many trading and war 
vessels had touched at Hawaiian ports during the two preceding 
decades. No very clear idea of the Christian religion had been 
imparted to the natives by tiie sailors and traders with whom 
they had been brought in contact ; but it could not have escaped 
their observation that the foreigner's disregard of the tabu 
brought with it no punishment, and they very naturally began to 
question the divinity of a religious code limited in its scope to 
the Hawaiian people. 

The' results of this growing scepticism were frequent viola- 
tions of the tabu. To check this seditious tendency summary 
punishments were inflicted. A woman was put to death for en- 
tering the eating apartment of her husband, and Jarvis relates 
that three men were sacrificed at Kealakeakua, a short time be- 
fore the death of Kamehameha — one of them for putting on the 
ffiaro of a chief, another for eating a forbidden article, and the 
third for leaving a house that was tabu and entering one that was 
not. Kamehameha had learned something of the religion of the 



THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLES. 433 

foreigners, but not enough to impress him greatly in its favor ; 
and when questioned concerning it during his last illness he 
replied that he should die in the faith of his fathers, although he 
thought it well that his successor should give the subject atten- 
tion. 

Different motives influenced the leaders in this conspiracy 
against the religion and tabus of the group. Kaahumanu, the 
favorite wife of Kamehameha I., but the mother of none of his 
children, was bold, ambitious and unscrupulous. Left second in 
authority under the young king, she chafed at the restraints im- 
posed by the tabu upon her sex. Many of the most palatable 
foods were denied her by custom, and in her intercourse with 
foreigners acts of courtesy were chilled and hampered by nume- 
rous and irksome tabu interdictions. To enable her to eat and 
drink of whatever her appetites craved, and to do so in the 
presence of males, Kaahumanu was prepared to strike at the 
roots of a religious system which had maintained her ancestors 
in place and power, even though she had no definite knowledge 
of the new faith with which she hoped to supplant it. 

Although the uncle of one of the wives of Liholiho — Kekau- 
onohi — Kalaimoku was not of distinguished rank. He was a 
chief of decided ability, however, and had been by degrees ad- 
vanced under the first Kamehameha, until he became the prime 
minister of the second. Not being a tabu chief by birth, he was 
easily persuaded by Kaahumanu to lend his assistance in depriv- 
ing those of higher rank of their tabu prerogatives, and to this 
end he and his brother Boki were baptized by the Roman Catho- 
lic chaplain of the French corvette Z' Uranie shortly after the 
assumption of the government by Liholiho. This was done while 
the young king was residing at Kawaihae, and without his know- 
ledge. 

Keopuolani, the political wife of Kamehameha I., and the 
mother of Liholiho, Kauikeaouli and Nahienaena, was the daugh- 
ter of Kiwalao, and of supreme tabu rank. So well was this 
recognized that her distinguished husband, it is related, always 
approached her with his face to the earth. She lacked decision 
of character, however, and her adhesion to the conspiracy against 
the tabu was doubtless due to the influence over her of the crafty 
Kaahumanu. 

Whatever may have been the motives of others, the apostasy 



434 ^^^ LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAII. 

of Hewahewa seems to have been the result of conviction. Being 
the high-priest of Hawaii, he had everything to lose and nothing 
to profit by the destruction of the religious system of which he 
was the supreme and honored head. Of an inquiring mind, the 
little knowledge he had gained of the new creed had convinced 
him of the inconsistency of his own, and when the time came to 
strike he acted boldly. His hand was the first to apply the torch 
to the temples. Had he hesitated the conspiracy would have 
failed, for the influence of the high-priest with the masses at that 
time was second only to that of the king. 

Liholiho was strong only in his attachments. Born in 1797, 
when the group had been consolidated under one government and 
further wars were not apprehended, he had not been given that 
austere and solid training in civil and military life imparted to 
the princes of the previous generation. He was attracted by the 
vices rather than the virtues of the foreigners at intervals visiting 
the islands, and, realizing that his future was secure, had devoted 
almost exclusively to pleasure the ripening years of his youth. 
Light-hearted, affectionate and gentle, he had shown so little 
taste for public affairs at the age of twenty-two that his dying 
father, in bequeathing to him the sceptre, deemed it prudent to 
accompany it with the condition that, should he wield it un- 
worthily, the supreme power should devolve upon Kaahu- 
manu. 

These were the prominent actors in the scheme for the de- 
struction of the priesthood, and this the character of the young 
king who had been tarrying for some months at Kawaihae, and 
to whom a message had been sent by Kaahumanu, informing him 
that, on his return to Kailua, she would openly set the gods at 
defiance and declare against the tabu. This information did not 
greatly astonish Liholiho. He knew of the growing hostility to 
the tabu; had talked with Hewahewa on the subject; had learned 
that his mother had failed to respect it on late occasions, and had 
himself seen it violated without harm to the offender. Yet he 
feared the consequences of an open declaration against the 
priesthood. He remembered the fate of Hua, whose bones 
whitened in the sun. He knew that his arrival at Kailua would 
precipitate the crisis, and compel him either to renounce or de- 
fend the gods of his fathers ; and after leaving Kawaihae, as we 
have seen, with a party occupying four canoes, he pursued his 



THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLES. 435 

way very leisurely toward Kailua, seemingly in no haste to reach 
his destination. 

Moving southward, and passing the rocky point immediately 
north of Puako, sail was shortened in the royal fleet, and the 
canoes drifted slowly along the coast, taking just wind enough to 
hold their course. Carousings were heard in the royal quarters. 
Liholiho appeared, and, waving his hand to a group of men and 
women forward, a wild hula dance was soon in progress, to the 
accompaniment of drums and rattling calabashes. The king 
watched the dancers for some time with a vacant air, and then 
began to mark the drum-beats with his feet. The emphasis of 
the movement increased, until, dismissing his dignity, his voice 
finally rose above the rude music, and he began to dance with an 
enthusiasm which seemed to be almost frenzied. Others of the 
royal party joined in the revelry, and for half an hour or more 
the vessel was the scene of tumultuous merriment. Bottles and 
calabashes of intoxicating liquors were then passed from one to 
another of the companions of the king, and the hula was con- 
tinued, followed by chants, ineles and other methods of enjoy- 
ment. Drinking was frequent, and the humbler members of the 
party were sparingly supplied with gin, whiskey and other stimu- 
lants. Similar scenes were transpiring in the canoes following, 
and the debauch was the wildest ever witnessed on any one of the 
eight Hawaiian seas. 

"Let us make drunk the water-gods !" exclaimed the king. 
" Here, Kuula, is a taste for you ; and here, Ukanipo, is your 
share ! " And he tossed into the ocean two bottles of liquor. 

" Let us hope the gods may not be angered by the unusual 
sacrifice," said Laanui, one of the favorite companions of the 
king. He spoke seriously, and Liholiho's face wore a troubled 
expression for a moment as he replied : 

" Then you have not yet lost faith in the gods, Laanui ? " 

" No," was the prompt answer of Laanui. 

The king did not continue the conversation. Turning and 
beckoning to a servant, more liquor was brought, after which the 
revelry was continued all through the day and far into the night. 
Meanwhile, so little progress had been made that at noon the 
next day the fleet was off Kiholo. 

For another twenty-four hours the feasting, drinking and 
dancing continued, when the revelers were met by a double 



436 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 

canoe sent by Kaahumanu from Kailua in search of the royal 
party. The messengers of his chief counselor were courteously 
received by Liholiho, and, hoisting all sail, he was escorted by 
them to Kailua, where he was warmly welcomed by Kaahumanu 
and the members of the royal family. 

Appearances of dissipation were plainly visible in the lan- 
guage and bearing of the king, and Kaahumanu regarded the 
moment as auspicious for committing him to some flagrant and 
public act of hostility to the tabu. Both she and Keopuolani, the 
queen-mother, had been secretly violating it, since the death of 
Kamehameha I., by eating of foods interdicted to their sex, and 
to screen themselves from exposure it was necessary that the 
religious system should be destroyed of which the tabu was the 
vital force. This could be accomplished only through the unit- 
ed efforts of the king and high-priest. Hewahewa was prepared 
to do his part as the religious head of the kingdom, but the 
young king, notwithstanding the pressure that had been brought 
to bear upon him by Kaahumanu and a few of the leading chiefs 
of his court, was still undecided. 

A feast was prepared in honor of the king's return to Kailua. 
In accordance with native custom, separate tables for the sexes 
were spread, and a number of foreigners were present as the in- 
vited guests of Kaahumanu. During the afternoon Liholiho, in 
response to well-devised banters, had been induced to drink and 
smoke with the female members of his family. This was a favor- 
able beginning, and, farther emboldened by his mother, who de- 
liberately ate a banana in his presence and drank the milk of a 
cocoanut, he declared that he would openly set the tabu at defi- 
ance during the approaching feast. 

It was feared that his courage would fail, and he was not left 
to himself for a moment until he led the way to the feast. His 
step was unsteady, and his face wore a troubled expression as he 
proceeded to the pavilion, accompanied by Kaahumanu, Keopu- 
olani and other members of the royal household. As they sepa- 
rated to take seats at their respective tables, the queen-mother 
gave Liholiho a look of encouragement, and Kaahumanu said to 
him in a low tone : 

" If you have the courage of your father, this will be a great 
day for Hawaii." 

The king made no reply, for at that moment his eyes fell upon 



THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLES. 437 

wooden images of Ku and Lono, on opposite sides of the en- 
trance, and he stepped briskly past them and seated himself at 
the head of one of the tables. The sight of the idols almost un- 
nerved him, and some of the guests observed that his hand trem- 
bled as he raised to his lips and drained a vessel of what seemed 
to be strong liquor. 

The guests were all seated. Hewahewa rose, and, glancing at 
the troubled face of the king, lifted his hands and said with firm- 
ness : " One and all, may we eat in peace, and in our hearts give 
thanks to the one and only god of all." 

The words of the high-priest restored the sinking courage of 
the king. He rose from his seat, deliberately walked to one of 
the tables reserved for the women, and seated himself beside his 
mother. During the strange proceeding not a word was spoken, 
not a morsel touched. Some believed him to be intoxicated ; 
others were sure that he was insane. Since the age of Wakea no 
one had so defied the gods and lived. Many natives rose from 
the tables, and horror took the place of astonishment when Liho- 
liho, encouraged by his mother, began to freely partake of the 
food prepared for the women. Interdicted fish, meats and fruits 
were then brought to the tables of the women by order of the 
king, who ate from their plates and drank from their vessels. 

Now satisfied that the king was acting deliberately and with 
the approval of the most influential dignitaries of the kingdom, 
including the supreme high-priest, a majority of the chiefs pre- 
sent promptly followed the example .of their sovereign, and an 
indescribable scene ensued. " The tabu is broken ! the tabu is 
broken !" passed from lip to lip, swelling louder and louder as it 
went, until it reached beyond the pavilion. There it was taken 
up in shouts by the multitude, and was soon wafted on the winds 
to the remotest corners of Kona. Feasts were at once provided, 
and men and women ate together indiscriminately. The tabu 
foods of palace and temple were voraciously eaten by the masses, 
and thousands of women for the first time learned the taste of 
flesh and fruits which had tempted their mothers for centuries. 

At the conclusion of the royal feast a still greater surprise be- 
wildered the people. " We have made a bold beginning," said 
Hewahewa to the king, thus adroitly assuming a part of the re- 
sponsibility ; " but the gods and heiaus cannot survive the death 
of the tabu." 



438 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 

" Then let them perish with it !" exclaimed Liholiho, now 
nerved to desperation at what he had done. " If the gods can 
punish, we have done too much already to hope for grace. They 
can but kill, and we will test their powers by inviting the full 
measure of their wrath." 

To this resolution the high-priest gave his ready assent, and 
orders were i§sued at once for the destruction of the gods and 
temples throughout the kingdom. Resigning his office, Hewa- 
hewa was the first to apply the torch, and in the smoke of burn- 
ing heiaus, images and other sacred property, beginning on 
Hawaii and ending at Niihau, suddenly passed away a religious 
system which for fifteen hundred years or more had shaped the 
faith, commanded the respect and received the profoundest reve- 
rence of the Hawaiian people. No creed was offered by the 
iconoclasts in lieu of the system destroyed by royal edict, and 
until the arrival of the first Christian missionaries, in March of 
the year following, the people of the archipelago were left with- 
out a shadow of religious restraint or guidance. 

II. 

While the abolition of the iabu system received the universal 
approval of the masses, the destruction of the gods and temples 
met with very considerable remonstrance and opposition. It was 
believed by many that the priesthood might be preserved without 
the tabu, and that the king had transcended his sovereign power 
in striking down both at a single blow. Hence many gods were 
-avedfrom the burning temples, and thousands refused to relin- 
(|uish the faith in which they had been reared. Deprived of their 
I ccupations, the priests denounced the destruction of the heiaus, 
; nd it was not long before a formidable conspiracy against the 
..overnment was organized on Hawaii, under the leadership of 
Kekuaokalani, a chief of rare accomplishments and a cousin of 
: lie king. Defection appeared at the court, and several diiefs of 
uistinction gave their support to the revolutionary movement. 

However it may be regarded in the light of its results, on the 
part of Kekuaokalani the rebellion was a brave and conscientious 
defence of the religion of his fathers. He raised the standard of 
revolt within a day's march of Kailua, and invited to its support 
all who condemned the action of Liholiho in decreeing the de- 



THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLES. 439 

struction of the national religion. He scorned all compromises 
and concessions, and but for the firearms of the whites would 
doubtless have wrested the sceptre from his royal cousin. 

It has been asserted that Kekuaokalani was ambitious and 
availed himself of the discontent created by the anti-religious de- 
crees of Liholiho as a possible means of seizing the reins of gov- 
ernment. This assumption is not sustained either by the words 
or acts of the unfortunate chief. The ambassadors sent to him 
after the first skirmish of the conflict reported that he declined 
all terms of peaceful settlement. This, however, was not the case. 
What he demanded was that Liholiho should withdraw his edicts 
against the priesthood, permit the rebuilding of the temples, and 
dismiss Kalaimoku as prime minister and Kaahumanu as chief 
counselor of the government. These conditions were declined, 
and the ambassadors returned with the story that they had offered 
to leave the question of religion entirely with the people, but that 
Kekuaokalani would have nothing but war. A correct statement 
of what occurred at the interview would doubtless have weakened 
the royal cause, and was therefore withheld. * After the resigna- 
tion of Hewahewa as high-priest the position devolved upon Ke- 
kuaokalani by right of precedence, and, believing in the sanctity 
of his gods, as a brave man he could not do less than take up 
arms in their defence. 

No characters in Hawaiian history stand forth with a sadder 
prominence, or add a richer tint to the vanishing chivalry of the 
race, than Kekuaokalani and his courageous and devoted wife, 
Manono, the last defenders in arms of the Hawaiian gods. They 
saw all that the light around them presented, but the only gods 
known to them were those of their fathers, and they died in a 
futile effort to protect them. They were brave, noble and con- 
scientious, and the cause in which they perished cannot detract 
from the grandeur or dim the glory of the sacrifice. 

In the veins of Kekuaokalani ran the best blood both of Hawaii 
and Oahu. He was a nephew of Kamehameha I., and his strain 
was even superior in rank to that of his distinguished uncle. His 
great- grandmother was Kamakaimoku, a princess of Oahu, who 
became the wife of Kalaninuiamamao, one of the sons of Keawe, 
king of Hawaii, and the mother of Kalaniopuu, grandfather of 
Keopuolani, mother of I-iholiho. One of the full sisters of Ka- 
laniopuu was Manona, the grandmother of Kekuaokalani. 



440 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 

One of the early wives of Kamehameha I. was Kalola, a 
chiefess of Hawaii. She subsequently became the wife of Ke- 
kuamanoha, a younger brother of Kahekili, king of Maui, and 
the mother of Manono, wife of Kekuaokalani. As the mother of 
Manono was a daughter of Kumukoa, one of the sons of Keawe, 
king of Hawaii, and her father was a prince of Maui, she was not 
only of high rank, but was related in blood both to her husband 
and the reigning family. 

Kekuaokalani is referred to by tradition as one of the most 
imposing chiefs of his day. He was more than six and a half 
feet in height, perfect in form, handsome in feature and noble in 
bearing. Brave, sagacious and magnetic, he possessed the re- 
quirements of a successful military leader ; but as war had prac- 
tically ceased with the conquest of the group by Kamehameha I., 
and he had little taste for the frivolities of the court, where he 
might have worn out his life in honored idleness, he turned his 
attention to the priesthood. Beginning at the bottom, with pa- 
tient application he passed through the intervening degrees until 
he stood beside the high-priest, fully his equal in learning, and 
more than his peer in devotion to his calling. He mastered the 
chronological meles of the higher priesthood and the esoteric lore 
and secret symbols of the temple, and with the death of Hewa- 
hewa it was the universal expectation that the duties of the high- 
priesthood would devolve upon him. In disposition he was hu- 
mane, charitable and unselfish, and, appreciating the nobility of 
his character, his wife worshipped him almost as a god. In re- 
turn he bestowed upon her the full measure of his affection, and 
the waters of their lives flowed peacefully on together until the 
grave engulfed them both. 

This was the character of the sturdy chief around whom the 
friends of the dethroned gods of Hawaii began to rally. He 
counseled peace and submission so long as he could find listen- 
ers among the disaffected, but in the end he was forced into the 
revolt and became the leader of the movement. 

He was present at the royal feast at Kailua when Liholiho 
publicly violated the tabn and decreed the destruction of the 
temples. He saw Hewahewa, the venerable high-priest, who had 
been to an extent his religious guide and instructor, cast the 
first brand upon the heiau where they had so often worshipped 
together and sought the counsels of the gods. At first all this 



THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLES. 44 1 

seemed to be a horrible dream, but the burning temples and 
frantic rejoicings of the populace soon convinced him that it was 
a bewildering reality, and he threw himself to the earth and 
prayed that his sight might be blasted, that he might witness no 
farther the sacrilegious acts of the people. 

" Liholiho's brain is on fire with strong drink, and he may be 
urged to do anything," thought Kekuaokalani ; " but Hewahewa 
— it must be that he is insane, and it is my duty to speak with 
him." 

He sought and found the high-priest, and learned to his great 
grief that Hewahewa was not only sound in mind, but was in 
thorough accord with the king in his determination to destroy 
the temples and repudiate the priesthood. 

"And you, a high-priest of the blood of Paao, advise this ! " 
said Kekuaokalani, bitterly. 

"I advise it," was the calm reply of Hewahewa ; "but I am 
no longer the high-priest of Hawaii ; the king has been so 
notified." 

" Then here and now do I assume the vacant place," returned 
Kekuaokalani, promptly. 

" By whose appointment ? " inquired Hewahewa. 

" By the will of the outraged gods whose temples are turn- 
ing to ashes around us ! " replied Kekuaokalani, with energy. 
" They will teach me my duty, even should they fail to visit 
vengeance upon their betrayers ! " 

With these words Kekuaokalani turned and walked away. 
His heart was filled with anguish, and the shouts of the people 
drove him almost to despair. Reaching the pavilion, he lifted 
and placed upon his shoulder the prostrate and mutilated image 
of Lono that had stood beside the entrance, and with the pre- 
cious burden strode gloomily and defiantly past the palace and 
disappeared. 

For a month or more nothing was heard of Kekuaokalani at 
the court. Meantime, the work of destruction continued, and 
the smoke of burning temples rose everywhere throughout the 
group. At length word reached Kailua that some of the priest- 
hood, sustained by a number of influential chiefs, were inciting a 
revolt in South Kono. Little attention was paid to the report 
until it was learned that Kekuaokalani had accepted the leader- 
ship of the movement. This alarmed the court, and a council of 



442 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 

chiefs was called. Discussion developed the prevailing opinion 
that the threatened uprising was merely a local disturbance that 
could be quelled without difficulty, and Liholiho's apprehensions 
were further relieved by the assurance of one of the chiefs that, 
with the assistance of forty warriors, he would undertake to bring 
Kekuaokalani a prisoner to Kailua within three days. 

" Not with forty times forty ! " said Hewahewa, earnestly. 
Better than any one else he understood and appreciated the lofty 
courage of Kekuaokalani, and was too generous to listen to its 
disparagement without protest. "No, not with forty times 
forty!" he continued. "Without Kekuaokalani the revolt will 
amount to nothing ; with him, it means war." 

" Then war let it be, since he invites it ! " exclaimed Kalai- 
moku. 

" But may he not be persuaded to peace ? " inquired the 
king, addressing the question, apparently, to Hewahewa. 

" Undoubtedly," replied the latter, " if we are prepared to 
accept his conditions." 

" What, think you, would be the conditions ? " returned the 
king. 

" The restoration of the tabu and the rebuilding of the tem- 
ples," was the deliberate answer of Hewahewa. 

The king was silent ; but before the council dissolved it was 
understood that a force would be sent against the rebels at once, 
and for a week or more preparations for the campaign were in 
progress, under the supervision of Kalaimoku. Everything at 
length being in readiness, the royal army, numbering, it is pre- 
sumed, not less than fifteen hundred warriors, some of them 
bearing firearms, moved southward from Kailua in the direction 
of Kaawaloa, where had been established the rebel headquarters. 

Having accepted the leadership of the rebellion, and regard- 
ing himself as a champion selected by the gods for their defence, 
Kekuaokalani vitalized the movement with an energy and enthu- 
siasm which soon brought the people to its support in large 
numbers, and the winter solstice found him in command of an 
army large enough to inspire him. with a reasonable hope of 
success. 

The five intercalated days between the winter solstice and 
the beginning of the new year had from time immemorial been 
set apart as a season of tabu, dedicated to festivities in honor of 



THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLES. 443 

Lono, one of the Hawaiian trinity. In the midst of the general 
religious demoralization Kekuaokalani devoted to the season its 
customary observances — the last yearly festival ever authorita- 
tively given to Lono in the group. 

The movements of the government were regularly and rapidly 
reported to Kekuaokalani, and when the royal troops left Kailua 
he was prepared to meet them. Through his efforts a heiau near 
Kaawaloa had escaped destruction. Thither he repaired, and, 
offering sacrifices to the gods, prayed that they would manifest 
their power by giving him victory. 

He did not await the assault of the royal forces. Leaving 
Kaawaloa, he attacked and defeated their advance not far north 
of that place, throwing the entire army into confusion. Satisfied 
with the success, he returned to Kaawaloa. 

News of the repulse reaching Kailua, a consultation was 
called by the king, and Kalaimoku urged the prompt advance of 
reinforcements by land and sea, and an immediate and over- 
whelming attack upon the rebels at Kaawaloa, rightly claiming 
that every day would add to the strength of the insurgents under 
the inspiration of the slight victory they had achieved. 

This advice was accepted, and every available force was 
immediately sent to the front, including a squadron of double 
canoes under the command of Kaahumanu and Kalakua, one of 
them carrying a mounted swivel in charge of a foreigner. 

Uncertain as to the strength of the rebels, and by no means 
confident of the results of a struggle which had opened in favor 
of his enemies, Liholiho advised a resort to peaceful negotia- 
tions before staking everything on the chances of battle. Hoa- 
pili, who stood in the capacity of husband to the queen-mother, 
and Naihe, hereditary national counselor and orator, were se- 
lected as ambassadors to confer with Kekuaokalani, and Keopuo- 
lani volunteered to accompany them. 

Reaching the camp of the insurgents, the ambassadors were 
graciously received by Kekuaokalani, and used every means to 
effect an amicable settlement of the difficulties that had brought 
two hostile armies face to face ; but nothing satisfactory could 
be accomplished. They were not authorized to offer such terms 
as Kekuaokalani felt that he could consistently accept, inasmuch 
as they failed to embrace either the restoration of the tabu or the 
rebuilding of the temples. Naihe offered to leave the question 



444 ^^-^ LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAII. 

of religion optional with the insurgents. To this proposal Ke- 
kuaokalani bitterly replied : 

" You offer the scales of the fish after you have picked the 
bones. As they are without temples, where would they wor- 
ship ? As they are without altars, where would they sacrifice ? 
As they are without the tabu, what to them would be sacred and 
acceptable to the gods ? " 

" Then must we take back the word that Kekuaokalani will 
have nothing but war ? " said Keopuolani, sadly. 

" No, honored mother of princes," replied Kekuaokalani, in 
a tone so solemn and impressive that his listeners stood awed in 
his presence. "Say, rather, that Kekuaokalani, the last high- 
priest, it may be, of Hawaii, is prepared to die in defence of the 
gods to whose service he has devoted his life. If they are om- 
nipotent, as he believes them to be, their temples will rise again ; 
if not, he is more than willing to hide his disappointment in the 
grave ! " 

Naihe was his uncle ; Kamakaimoku was the great-grand- 
mother both of Keopuolani and himself, and the king was his 
cousin. As a condition of peace he demanded the recall of the 
edicts against the tabu and the temples. As this could not be 
conceded, the ambassadors appealed to his relationship with 
themselves and the royal family ; but he could not be moved. 
" We are proud of our blood," he said to Keopuolani, " but who 
but the gods made kings of our ancestors ? " 

Finding that nothing could be effected, the ambassadors 
withdrew with tokens of mutual regret, and were safely and re- 
spectfully escorted beyond the rebel lines. The reports they al- 
lowed to be circulated on their return, that Kekuaokalani had 
refused to consider any terms of peace, and that they had nar- 
rowly escaped with their lives, were inventions employed to mis- 
lead and exasperate the royal army. 

With the departure of the ambassadors Manono sought her 
husband to learn the results of the conference. The informa- 
tion that no agreement had been reached did not surprise her. 
For weeks past all the auguries had indicated blood, and the 
night before the alae had screamed in the palms behind her hut. 

"Thank the gods for the omen ! " said Kekuaokalani. 

" But the voice of the alae is a presage of evil," suggested 
Manono. 



THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLES. 445 

" Only to those who do evil," replied the chief. " The fate 
of the gods, whose battles we fight, is shaped by themselves." 

" Have you no fear of the result ? " inquired Manono. 

"I fear nothing," was the reply ; "but the thought has some- 
times come to me of late that the gods are reserving for Liholiho 
and his advisers a punishment greater than I may be able to in- 
flict. Should that be so, I am obstructing with spears the path 
of their vengeance, and will be sacrificed." 

" The will of the gods be done ! " said Manono, devoutly. 
" But, whatever may be the fate of Kekuaokalani, Manono will 
share it." 

" Brave Manono ! " exclaimed the husband, with emotion. 
" If the gods so will it we will die together ! " 

That night Kekuaokalani took up his line of march for Kai- 
lua, determined to give battle to the royal forces wherever he 
might encounter them. He moved near the coast, and the next 
morning the hostile armies met at Kuamoo. Arranging his 
forces in order of battle, Kekuaokalani sent to the front a num- 
ber of newly-decorated gods in the charge of priests, and, in turn 
addressing the several divisions, conjured them in impassioned 
language to defend the gods of their fathers. 

Kalaimoku commanded the royal army in person. The bat- 
tle opened in favor of the rebels, and with them would have 
been the victory but for the great superiority of the royalists in 
firearms. At a critical juncture a battalion of musketeers, some 
of whom were foreigners, charged the rebel centre, when the di- 
vision gave way in something of a panic, and soon the entire 
rebel forces were in retreat. Retiring to the adjacent seaside, 
under cover of a stone wall they made a successful resistance 
for some time ; but the squadron of double canoes already re- 
ferred to, under the command of Kaahumanu and Kalakua, en- 
filaded the position with musketry and a mounted swivel, and the 
insurgents abandoned the unequal struggle, the most of them 
scattering and seeking shelter in the neighboring hills. 

Although wounded early in the action, Kekuaokalani gallant- 
ly kept the field. Everywhere was his tall form seen moving 
throughout the conflict, rallying and cheering his followers, 
while at his side fought the brave Manono. He finally fell with 
a musket-ball through his heart. With a wild scream of despair 
Manono sprang to his assistance, and the next moment a bullet 



446 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAII. 

pierced her temple, and she fell dead across the body of her dy- 
ing husband. Kalaimoku was the first to approach, and gazing 
long upon the noble features of Kekuaokalani, grand even in 
death, turned to his followers and said : " Truly, since the days 
of Keawe a grander Hawaiian has not lived ! " 

Thus died the last great defenders of the Hawaiian gods. 
They died as nobly as they had lived, and were buried together 
where they fell on the field of Kuamoo. 

Small bodies of religious malcontents were subdued at Wai- 
mea and one or two other points, but the hopes and struggles of 
the priesthood virtually ended with the death of Kekuaokalani. 



The Tomb of Puupehe. 



CHARACTERS. 



Makakehau, a chief of Lanai. 
PUUPEHE, daughter of a chief of Maui. 



448 



THE TOMB OF PUUPEHE. 



A LEGEND OF THE ISLAND OF LANAI. 

SAILING along the lee-shore or southwest coast of Lanai, a 
huge block of red lava, sixty feet in diameter and eighty or 
more feet in height, is discerned standing out in the sea, and de- 
tached from the mainland some fifty or sixty fathoms. The sides 
are precipitous, offering no possible means of ascent, and against 
it the waves dash in fury, and in the niches of its storm-worn 
angles the birds of ocean build their nests. Observed from the 
overhanging bluff of the neighboring shore, on the summit of 
the lonely column is seen a small enclosure formed by a low 
but well-defined stone wall. This is known as " The tomb of 
Puupehe " — the last resting-place of one of the most beautiful 
of the daughters of Maui, whose body was buried there by her 
distracted husband and lover, Makakehau, a warrior of Lanai. 
How the summit was reached by the lover with his precious bur- 
den is a mystery, but the wall is still there to show that the 
ascent was made in some manner, and tradition assumes that 
it was through the agency of supernatural forces. 

Puupehe was the daughter of Uaua, a petty chief of Maui, 
and Makakehau won her, it is related without detail, as the joint 
prize of love and war. How this could have occurred it is 
difficult to imagine, since Lanai was always a dependency of 
Maui in the past, and no direct wars between the two islands are 
mentioned by tradition. It may therefore be inferred that she 
was the spoil of some private predatory expedition, and that 
the efforts of the young warrior to jealously seclude her from 
the gaze of men were prompted not more by the infatuations of 
her beauty than the fear that she might be recaptured. 

However this may have been, they are described in the 
Kanikau, or " Lamentation of Puupehe," as mutually captive to 
each other in the bonds of love. The maiden was a sweet 
flower of Hawaiian beauty. Her glossy brown and spotless 



450 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

body " shone like the clear sun rising out of Heleakala." Her 
flowing hair, bound by wreaths of pikaki blossoms, streamed 
forth as she ran " like the surf-crests scudding before the 
wind," and the starry eyes of the daughter of Uaua so daz- 
zled the youthful brave that he was called Makakehau, or " Misty 
Eyes." 

Fearing that the radiant beauty of his captive might cause 
her to be coveted by some of the chiefs of the land, he said to 
her : " We love each other well. Let us go to the clear waters 
of Kalulu. There we will fish together for the kala and bonita, 
and there will I spear the turtle. I will hide you, O light of my 
heart ! in the cave of Malauea. Or we will dwell together in 
the great ravine of Palawai, where we will eat the young of the 
uwau, and bake them in the // leaf with the sweet pala root. 
The ohelo berries of the Kuahiwa will refresh us, and we will 
drink of the cool waters of Maunalei. I will thatch a hut in 
the thicket of Kaohai, and we will love on till the stars die." 

The meles tell of their loves in the Pulou Ravine, where they 
caught the bright iwi birds and scarlet apapani. How sweet 
were their joys in the maia groves of Waiakeakua, where the 
lovers saw naught so beautiful as themselves! But the misty eyes 
were soon to be made dimmer by weeping, and dimmer till the 
drowning brine should shut out their light for ever. 

Makakehau left his love one day in the cave of Malauea, 
while he went to the mountain to fill the huawai with sweet wa- 
ter. This cavern yawns at the base of the cliff overlooking the 
rock of Puupehe. The sea surges far within, but there is an 
inner space or chamber which the expert swimmer can reach, 
and where Puupehe had often found seclusion, and baked the 
honu, or sea-turtle, for her absent lover. 

This was the season for the kona, the terrific storm that comes 
up from the equator, and hurls the billows of ocean with increas- 
ed violence against the southern shores of the Hawaiian Islands. 

Makakehau beheld from the rocky springs of Pulou the 
vanguard of an approaching koiia — scuds of rain and thick 
mist rushing with a howling wind across the round valley of 
Palawai. He knew the storm would fill the cave with a wild 
and sudden rush of waters, and destroy the life of his beautiful 
Puupehe. 

Every moment was precious. He flung aside his calabashes 



THE TOMB OF PUUPEHE. 45 I 

of water, and at the top of his speed started down the mountain. 
With mighty and rapid strides he crossed the great valley, where 
he met the coming storm in its fury. Over the rim he dashed 
with an agonized heart, and down the ragged slope of the kula 
to the shore, which the waves were already lashing in a voice of 
thunder. 

The sea was up, indeed ! The yeasty foam of surging, wind- 
rent billows whitened the cliffs, and the tempest chorussed the 
mad anthem of the battling waves. Oh! where should Misty 
Eyes seek for his love in the blinding storm ? 

A rushing mountain of sea fills the mouth of the cave of Ma- 
lauea, and the pent air within hurls back the invading torrent 
with a stubborn roar, blowing outward great streams of spray. 
It is a savage war of the elements — a battle of the forces of na- 
ture well calculated to thrill with pleasure the hearts of strong 
men. But a lover looking into the seething gulf of the whirlpool 
— what would be to him the sublime conflict ? what to see amid 
the boiling brine the upturned face and tender body of the idol 
of his heart ? 

Others might agonize on the brink, but Misty Eyes sprang 
into the dreadful caldron and snatched his lifeless love from 
the jaws of an ocean grave. 

The next day fishermen heard the lamentation of Makakehau, 
and the women of the valley came down and wailed over Puu- 
pehe. They wrapped her body in bright, new kapa, and covered 
it with garlands of fragrant nauu. They prepared it for inter- 
ment, and were about to place it in the burial ground of Manele ; 
but Makakehau prayed that he might be left alone one night 
more with his lost love, and the request was not refused. 

When the women returned the morning following they found 
neither corpse nor wailing lover. At length, looking toward the 
rock of Puupehe, they discovered Makakehau at work on the 
lofty apex of the lone sea-tower. The wondering people of the 
island watched him with amazement from the neighboring cliffs, 
but, heedless of their observation, he continued his labors. 
Some sailed around the base of the column in their canoes, but 
could discover no means of ascent. Every face of the rock was 
either perpendicular or overhanging. 

The conviction then became general — since there seemed to 
be no other possible explanation — that some sympathizing akua, 



452 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

or spirit, had responded to the prayer of Makakehau, and as- 
sisted him in reaching the summit of the tower with the body of 
his dead bride ; and in this form has tradition brought down the 
touching story. 

Makakehau finished his labors. He laid his love in a grave 
prepared by his own hands, placed ' the last stone upon it, and 
then stretched out his arms and thus wailed for Puupehe : 

' Where are you, O Puupelie? 
Are you in the cave of Malauea ? 
Shall I bring you sweet water, 
The water of the fountain ? 
Shall I bring the uwau, 
Thepa^a and ohelo? 
Are you baking the honu? 
And the red, sweet hala? 
Shall I pound the kalo of Maui ? 
Shall we dip in the gourd together? 
The bird and the fish are bitter. 
And the mountain water is sour. 
I shall drink it no more ; 
I shall drink with Aipuhi, 
The great shark of Manele." 

Ceasing his sad wail, Makakehau gazed for a moment upon the 
grave where were buried the light and hope of his life, and then 
leaped from the rock into the boiling surge at its base. His body 
was crushed in the breakers. The witnesses of the sacrifice se- 
cured the mangled remains of the dead lover, and interred them, 
with respect in the kupapau of Manele. 

This is the story told by the old bards of Lanai of the lone- 
ly rock of Puupehe, and the still inaccessible summit, with the 
marks of a grave upon it, attests with reasonable certainty that: 
the mele has something of a foundation in fact. 



The Story of Laieikawai. 



CHARACTERS. 

Laieikawai, the heroine, called also Ka wahine o ka Hula, "the lady of the 

twilight," daughter of a chief of Oahu. 
Laielohelohe, twin-sister of Laieikawai. 
Waka, their grandmother, a powerful sorceress. 
Kapukaihaoa, a priest of Kukaniloko, Oahu. 
IIulumaniani, a prophet of Kauai. 
Aiwohikupua, a chief of Wailua, Kauai, of kupua or supernatural birth, and 

from a foreign country. 
Moanalihaikawaokele, Aiwohikupua's father, and 
Laukieleula, his mother, both mysterious beings, and inhabitants of the 

Moon. 
Kaonohiokala, brother of Aiwohikupua, and a demi-god living in the Sun. 
Maile-haiwale, ■. 

Maile-kaluhea, 

Maile-laulii, f- sisters of Aiwohikupua. 

Maile-pakaha, and 
Kahalaomapuana the youngest, 

Kekalukaluokewa, king of Kauai after Kauakahialii. 
Hauailikt, a petty chief of Mana, Kauai. 
Halaaniani, a petty chief of Puna, Hawaii, and 
Malio, his sister, a sorceress. 
HiNAiKAMALAMA, a chiefess of Hana, Maui. 
POLIAHU, a goddess of Mauna Kea, Hawaii. 
KiHANUiLULUMOKU, a gigantic moo, or lizard god. 



THE STORY OF LAIEIKAWAI. 

A SUPERNATURAL FOLK-LORE LEGEND OF THE FOURTEENTH 
CENTURY. 

Prefatory. 

EARLY in the spring of 1885 a party of six or eight ladies 
and gentlemen — the writer being of the number — made a 
carriage circuit of the island of Oahu. Ample preparations for 
the little journey had been made by the governor of the island, 
and the marshal of the kingdom acted in the double capacity of 
guide and escort. A score of attending natives accompanied the 
party on horseback, and a delightful week or more was consumed 
in skirting the breezy beaches of Koolau, in dalliance at Waialua, 
in visiting historic points of interest, and in completing a journey 
of something less than one hundred miles. 

Starting from Honolulu, the empty carriages were carefully 
lowered down the steep, ragged and narrow Pali road leading to 
the valleys below, and the first evening found us at rest by the 
beautiful shores of Kaneohe. Entering the district of Koolau- 
loa the next day, and approaching the coast over a broad stretch 
of grassy meadow but slightly above the level of the ocean, our 
party was suddenly brought to a halt beside a pool of clear 
water, nearly round, and perhaps a hundred feet in diameter. 
The surface of the pool was ten or twelve feet below the level of 
the surrounding plain, and its even banks of solid rock dropped 
almost perpendicularly into water of unknown depth. The vol- 
ume of the pool is affected neither by rain nor drought, and the 
native belief is that it is fed by springs at the bottom, ^nd has a 
subterranean drainage to the ocean, some two or three miles dis- 
tant. 

This, we learned, was the celebrated pond of Waiapuka, 
around which so many strange legends have been woven. All of 
them speak of a cavern somewhere beyond the walls of the pool. 



456 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

and to be reached only by diving into the water and finding the 
narrow passage leading up into it. 

While listening to fragments of the story of Laieikawai and of 
other legends connected with the mysterious cavern, and seri- 
ously doubting the existence of the secret chamber so promi- 
nently referred to in the early folk-lore of Oahu, an old native, 
who had joined the party at Kaneohe, quietly and without a 
word dismounted, divested himself of his upper garments and 
plunged into the pool. Swimming to the northern wall, he clung 
for a moment to a slight projection, and then disappeared. It 
was suggested for the first time that he was in search of the cav- 
ern of Laieikawai, and all eyes were turned toward the point 
where he was last seen above the water. 

Three or four minutes elapsed, and fears for his safety began 
to be exchanged, when the salutation of ''''aloha!" greeted us 
from the opposite wall, and the next moment a pair of black eyes 
were seen glistening through a small opening into the cavern, not 
before observed, about four feet above the surface of the water. 

The swimmer then returned to the pool by the passage 
through which he had left it, and we were compelled to admit 
that the cavern of Laieikawai was a reality, however wild and 
visionary may have been the stories connected with it. Not a 
single person present, including the governor, had ever before 
seen the passage to the cavern attempted, and the natives were 
overjoyed at what they had witnessed. 

To the many questions with which he was pressed the 
old man returned but brief answers on his return, and when 
importuned to explain the method of his entrance to the 
cavern, that the secret might not be lost, he pointed signifi- 
cantly to the sea, and declared that there would be found the 
bodies of those who sought to solve the mystery of the passage 
and failed. 

This rediscovery of the entrance to the cavern of Laieikawai 
created a renewed interest in the legends associated with it, and 
thenceforth during our journey many of the old stories were re- 
hearsed. The most interesting related to Laieikawai. It is 
a recklessly fanciful recital, and gives expression to the extrava- 
gant conceits of the early Hawaiian bards. Following is pre- 
sented a condensation of the legend of Laieikawai, as more ela- 
borately told by Haleole. — Editor. 



THE ST OR V OF LAIEIKA WAI. 45 7 

I. 

The father of Laieikawai was Kahauokapaka, chief of the 
two Koolau districts, comprising the entire windward side of the 
island of Oahu, and her mother's name was Malaekahana. Soon 
after their marriage he made a vow that if her children should 
prove to be girls they were to be put to death, at least until a 
son should be born to them. 

In accordance with this savage vow the first four of Malae- 
kahana's children, all being daughters, were slain without mercy. 
When her time again drew near, by the advice of a priest she 
sent her husband to the coast to bring her some oJma palemo, a 
small fish of which she was exceedingly fond. 

In his absence she was delivered of twin girls, who were nam- 
ed Laieikawai and Laielohelohe. They were surpassingly beau- 
tiful children, and, desirous of saving their lives, the mother con- 
signed the first-named to the care of Waka, the child's grand- 
mother, and the other to Kapukaihaoa, a priest of discretion and 
sanctity. 

On the return of the husband he was told that the expected 
child came into the world without life. He knew that a birth in 
his house had occurred during his absence, for he had heard two 
distinct claps of thunder. 

Waka took her foster-child to the cavern which opens into 
the pond of Waiapuka, and which can be entered only by diving. 
Laielohelohe was taken by her priestly protector to the sacred 
enclosure of Kukaniloko, on the western side of the island, and 
there tenderly cared for. 

The moment Waka entered the cavern of Waiapuka with 
Laieikawai a rainbow appeared over the place, and was con- 
stantly visible so long as the child remained there. Even when 
the sun was obscured by clouds the rainbow could be seen. 

At length the rainbow was observed by the great prophet 
Hulumaniani on the distant island of Kauai. For twenty days 
in succession he saw it, and knew its significance. He secured a 
canoe and fifteen men from Poloula, the chief of Wailua, pro- 
vided himself with a black pig, white fowl and red fish for sacri- 
fice, and, when the star Sirius rose, set sail for Oahu. 

Reaching that island, he landed at Waianae, and, guided by 
the rainbow, in due time arrived at the pool of Waiapuka. 



458 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

Waka had just dived into the cave, and he noticed ripples on the 
w^ater. During the day Waka started to leave the cavern, but 
caught a glimpse of the prophet sitting on the bank, and quickly 
returned, again ruffling the water. 

The prophet remained by the pool all night, and in the morn- 
ing saw a rainbow over Kukaniloko. Traveling in that direction, 
he ascended Mount Kaala, when he saw the rainbow over the 
island of Molokai. Finding a canoe bound thither, he took pas- 
sage and landed at Haleolono, near the western shore. 

In a dream Waka had been directed by Kapukaihaoa to re- 
move Laieikawai to some securer place, and had accordingly 
taken her to Malelewaa, a secluded spot on the north side of 
Molokai. 

Following the rainbow, the prophet arrived in the evening at 
Waikolu, just below Malelewaa ; but that night Waka was again 
advised in a dream to remove at once to the island of Hawaii 
and dwell with her ward at Paliuli. They departed at dawn, 
and at Keawanui met a man getting his canoe ready to sail to 
Lanai, and engaged passage ; but before they could embark 
Laieikawai accidentally removed the veil which Waka compelled 
her to wear, and the man was amazed at her beauty. 

Instead of starting for Lanai, he invited Waka and her ward 
to remain at his house until he could secure the services of an- 
other rower, and then started around the island, proclaiming tO' 
every group of people the great beauty of Laieikawai. 

A great crowd had assembled at Kalaupapa to witness a box- 
ing-match, and there the man extolled the beauty of the girl in 
the presence of the head chief and the prophet in search of her. 
Not doubting that the girl described was the one he was in quest 
of, the prophet proceeded to Kawela and saw the rainbow over 
Hawanui. That night he arrived at Kaamola, the land adjoin- 
ing, and went to rest, for he had journeyed far and M^as weary. 

Meanwhile Waka, again warned in a dream, obtained a canoe 
and sailed across the channel to Lanai, landing at Maunalei. 
Three days of fog and rain followed, and on the fourth the 
prophet saw the rainbow over Maunalei. It did not remain there, 
however. Ten days later he discerned something peculiar on the 
high peak of Haleakala, on the island of Maui. He proceeded 
thither, but found nothing there but fog and rain. 

He next journeyed to Kauwiki, a hill near Hana, and there 



THE STORY OF LAI E IK A WAI. 459 

erected a small heiaii, or temple, for the worship of his patron 
deity. After the dedication, seeing nothing on Hawaii, and re- 
ceiving no inspiration, he remained for some time at Kauwiki. 

At length, in the early days of the seventh month of the year, 
he saw faintly with the rising of the sun a rainbow on the wind- 
ward side of Hawaii. At sunset on the third day of the next 
month he entered his heiau and prayed fervently, and there ap- 
peared before him the wraiths of Waka and Laieikawai. His 
patron god then informed him that the persons whose shadows 
he had seen were living in the forest of Puna, in a house thatched 
with the yellow feathers of the 00. 

With this information the prophet set sail for Mahukona, on 
the island of Hawaii. There he prayed in the temple of Pahau- 
na, and was directed to Waipio, where he offered sacrifices in 
the famous heiatc of Faakalana, He proceeded thence to Kai- 
wilahilahi, near Laupahoehoe, where he remained for some years, 
unable to obtain any further information of the persons of whom 
he was in search. 



II. 



It was during the sojourn of Hulumaniani, the prophet, at 
Kaiwilahilahi, that Kauakahialii, king of Kauai, with his queen, 
Kailikelauokekoa, returned from a wedding tour of the group. 
A great assemblage of chiefs and commoners had met to wel- 
come them home with music, dancing and other festivities. 

In relating his adventures the king referred to a meeting with 
the mysterious princess of Paliuli, whose beauty, he declared, 
was something more than human. The meeting occurred at 
Keaau, in Puna. The kahu of the king first met the princess and 
her companion, and, when requested by him to favor his royal 
master with a visit, the princess informed him that she might 
possibly comply with his request the night following. " If I 
come," she said, " I will give you warning." 

" Now, listen and heed," she continued. " If you hear the 
voice of the ao I am not in its notes, and when you hear the caw 
of the alala I am not in its voice. When the notes of the elepaio 
are heard I am getting ready to descend. When you hear the 
song of the apapane I shall have come out of my house. Listen, 



460 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 

then, and if you hear the iiwipolena singing I am outside of your 
house. Come forth and meet me." 

And so it came to pass. In the kihi, or first watch of the 
evening, resounded the cry of the ao, in the second watch the caw 
of the alala, at midnight the chirruping of the elepaio, in the pili 
of the morning the song of the apapane, and at daybreak the voice 
of the iiwipole7ia. Then a shadow fell on the door, " and we were 
enveloped," said the king, " in a thick fog, and when it cleared 
away the princess was seen in her glorious beauty, borne on the 
wings of birds." The name of the divine being, he said, was 
Laieikawai. 

Among the chiefs who listened to this story of the king was 
Aiwohikupua, chief of Wailua, who was of foreign birth. He had 
made a vow that he would not marry a Hawaiian woman, and, 
expressing the opinion that the princess described by the king 
was a daughter of other lands, he resolved to make her his 
wife. 

To this end he sought out the late kahu of the king and made 
him his confidant and chief officer. They talked of little else 
than Laieikawai. He had a vision of her in a dream, and drank 
awa successively for many days, in the hope of inspiring a repeti- 
tion of the vision. He chanted a mele in praise of the unknown 
princess, renewed his resolution to possess her, and then prepared 
to go to Hawaii in search of her. 

He fitted out two double canoes, with sixteen rowers and two 
steersmen, and, when the augurs and soothsayers declared the 
omens favorable, on the rising of Sirius he set sail for Hawaii. 
On his way thither he stopped at many places, and at length ar- 
rived in the harbor of Haneoo, in the district of Hana, Maui. 

A number of surf-riders were amusing themselves on the 
beach, among them Hinaikamalama, the famous chiefess of Hana. 
Aiwohikupua was smitten with her charms, and accepted her in- 
vitation to join the bathing party in their sports. In turn she 
became enamored of him, and invited him to visit her house 
and play konane — a game resembling draughts — with her. 

When about to begin the game she asked him what he was 
willing to wager on his success, and he pointed to one of his 
double canoes. She declined the condition, and proposed, in- 
stead, that they should stake their persons. To this he agreed, 
and, playing, lost the game. To avoid paying the forfeit he de- 



THE SrOR Y OF LAIEIKA WAI. 46 1 

clared that he had made a vow to give himself in love to no 
woman until after he had made the circuit of the island of Ha- 
waii, and admonished her to remain faithful to him while he was 
absent. 

The chief and his party left Haneoo, and the next day ar- 
rived at Kauhola, in the district of Kohala, Hawaii, where a box- 
ing-match was in progress. Aiwohikupua was challenged to a 
contest by Ihuanu, the champion of Kohala. The challenge was 
accepted, and in the struggle Ihuanu was killed. 

They next landed at Paauhau, in Hamakua, to witness an- 
other boxing-match. The local champion was Haunaka. He 
was invited to a contest with Aiwohikupua, but, learning some- 
thing of the prowess of the chief, he declined the conflict. They 
then sailed for Laupahoehoe, where the prophet Hulumaniani was 
still residing. 

That evening the prophet was watching the clouds for omens, 
and discerned in them that a chief's double canoe was approach- 
ing, bearing nineteen men. The next morning he saw a mist on 
the sea, and prepared his black pig, white fowl and bunch of awa. 
Then followed peals of thunder, and Aiwohikupua's canoes came 
in sight, with tht puloiilou insignia of a chief ; whereupon the pro- 
phet offered sacrifices, and prayed for the chief and himself. 

Landing, the chief and prophet embraced, and spent the night 
together, but Aiwohikupua did not disclose the real object of his 
voyage. They then sailed for Makahanaloa, from which place 
could be seen the rainbow over Paliuli. They landed at Keaau, 
where the people were surf-bathing. 

In the evening Aiwohikupua left his men with the canoes, 
taking with him only his confidant, the kahu, carrying a rich 
feather mantle as a present to the lady of Paliuli. After a long 
and wearisome journey through the thick jungle they heard the 
crowing of a cock, and soon after came to a clearing, at the far- 
ther end of which was the house of Laieikawai, all covered with 
the choice yellow feathers of the 00 

Aiwohikupua was amazed and humiliated. Said he : " I 
brought my royal feather cloak as a present to her, and behold ! 
it is not equal to the thatch of her house ! " Then turning to his 
kahu, he said : " I will stay here no longer. Let us return." 

In spite of the remonstrances of his companion, Aiwohikupua 
returned to Keaau without seeing Laieikawai, and sailed at once 



462 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

for Kauai. They did not stop to visit the prophet at Laulapa- 
hoehoe- When off the coast of Hamakua they saw a woman of 
extraordinary beauty reclining on a cliff by the shore. She was 
graceful in every movement, and wore a snow-white mantle. 

They landed and made her acquaintance. Her name was Po- 
liahu, of Mauna Kea. As usual, the chief began to talk to her at 
once of love. In reply she asked him if he had not sworn by 
the names of his gods not to marry a woman born on the Ha- 
waiian group, and whether he had not engaged himself to Hinai- 
kamalama, of Hana. She informed him that, like himself, she too 
was of kupua descent and possessed supernatural powers. She 
promised to marry him, however, so soon as he could be released 
from his oath and would return to claim her. She accompanied 
them as far as Kohala, where she exchanged mantles with the 
chief in pledge of their betrothal, and then took her departure. 

Crossing the channel to Maui, the chief put into the harbor of 
Haneoo, but did not land. Hinaikanialama hailed him from the 
shore, and demanded the fulfilment of his promise ; but he be- 
guiled her by declaring that he had not yet completed the circuit 
of Hawaii, having sailed only along the windward side of it, and 
that bad news from home compelled his immediate return to 
Kauai. 

She believed him and was pacified. In the middle of the 
Oahu channel he enjoined secrecy on his crew, and then hastened 
to Kauai, fully determined to return to Hawaii and secure an 
audience with the princess of Paliuli. 

Reaching home, he informed his five sisters of what he had 
seen at Paliuli, and they agreed to accompany him to Hawaii and 
assist him in his suit with the beautiful Laieikawai. 

The next day Aiwohikupua selected a fresh crew of fourteen 
rowers and two pilots, who, with his sisters and confidential coun- 
selor, made a party of twenty-three in all, and set sail for Hawaii. 
They were detained a month at Honuaula, Maui, by stormy 
weather, but finally reached Kaelehuluhulu, in the district of 
Kona, Hawaii. Poliahu saw their canoes there, and was disap- 
pointed when they left for Hilo. 

They arrived at Keaau, in Puna, about the middle of the day, 
and Aiwohikupua made his arrangements and started inland at 
once with his five sisters and trusted kahu. At midnight the 
party reached Paliuli. 



THE STOR Y OF LAIEIKA WAT. 463 

The chief stationed his eldest sister, Maile-haiwale, at the 
door of Laieikawai. She sent forth the delicate fragrance of the 
plant of her name, which awoke Laieikawai. 

" Waka ! Waka ! " exclaimed the princess. 

" Here ! " answered Waka. " What wakes you in the night ? " 

" A fragrance, a strange, cool fragrance, which goes to my 
heart," returned the girl. 

" It is not a strange fragrance," said Waka. " It is certainly 
Maile-haiwale, the sweet-scented sister of Aiwohikupua, who has 
come to ask you to be his wife." 

" Pshaw ! I will not marry him," was the petulant response of 
Laieikawai. 

Aiwohikupua heard her refusal, and was so thoroughly dis- 
heartened that he proposed to abandon his sisters and return to 
Keaau, but his trusty kahu intervened and advised another trial. 
So the next in age, Maile-kaluhea, took a position by the door. 
Her fragrance was different and more penetrating ; but nearly 
the same exchange of words as before occurred within the house. 

The chief again proposed to leave, but the kahu insisted on 
trying the powers of Maile-laulii ; but no better success followed. 

"Try again," said the counselor, " and if they all fail I myself 
will undertake to persuade her." 

So Maile-pakaha was sent to the door, but with no better re- 
sult, and, speaking loudly enough to be heard without, Laieika- 
wai said : " Whoever may come, I will not consent to marry 
Aiwohikupua." 

Hearing this, and regarding any further attempt as useless, 
Aiwohikupua ordered his sisters to remain behind in the woods 
as a punishment for their failure, and started on his return to the 
coast. The youngest sister, whose powers had not been tried, 
called after him and touched his heart. He offered to take her 
and leave the rest behind, bat she would not consent to abandon 
her sisters. One of them chanted a mele to soften his heart, but 
he remained obdurate. 

He proceeded to the coast, the sisters following as best they 
could, and when they saw him and his attendants seated in the 
canoes and ready for departure, Maile-kaluhea chanted a touch- 
ing mele ; but he heeded it not and put out to sea. 

The sisters traveled by land and met Aiwohikupua as he was 
about to go ashore at Punahoa, but he avoided them by again 



464 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 

setting sail. They then traveled overland to Honolii, where their 
brother had stopped for supplies. They watched during the night, 
and when Aiwohikupua was about to embark in the morning 
his sisters drew near, and Kahalaomapuana chanted a pathetic 
song, and with so great effect that her brother invited her into his 
canoe, placed her on his knee and wept over her. 

Ordering his rowers to pull out to sea with his youngest sis- 
ter, whom he still held in his embrace, she begged him to return 
for the others, and when he refused she chanted a farewell song, 
leaped overboard and swam ashore. 

The sisters then decided to return to Paliuli, scarcely knowing 
where else to go on the island of Hawaii, where they were stran- 
gers. Arriving there, they found shelter in a clump of hala trees 
near the house of Laieikawai, the doors of which were kept con- 
tinually closed. Failing to attract the attention of the inmates, 
the sisters concluded to keep a fire burning at night and to sing 
by turns — Maile-haiwale the first night, Maile-kaluhea the sec- 
ond, and so on for four nights ; but no notice was taken of them. 

On the fifth night it was the turn of the youngest sister to 
sing. She lighted the fire, made a musical instrument of a ti leaf 
and played upon it. She did this in the evening and morning 
watches for two nights. Laieikawai had never heard the instrument 
before, and it delighted her. So she sent her kahu, a hunchback, 
to first spy out the musician, and then bring before her the per- 
son who was capable of making such music. 

Following the kahu, Kahalaomapuana found Laieikawai rest- 
ing on the wings of birds, with two iiwipolenas perched upon her 
shoulders. She was kindly received, played before her, and told 
her of her sisters. Touched by the recital, Laieikawai ordered a 
house to be built for them, and formally adopted them as her 
companions and guards. They were fed by birds and lived as in 
an enchanted bower. 

On the return to Kauai of Aiwohikupua from his second voy- 
age he had a great feast prepared, and all the guests were made 
drunk on 'awa. Under the influence of the liquor Aiwohikupua 
divulged the secret of his mission to Hawaii, and told all about 
his unsuccessful efforts in seeking to secure an interview with the 
princess of Paliuli. 

Hauailiki, a handsome young chief of Mana, rose to his feet 
and boasted that he could achieve without difficulty what Aiwo- 



THE STORY OF LAIEIKA WAI. 465 

hikupua had failed to accomplish ; whereupon the latter offered 
to furnish him with a canoe and men to sail it if he would un- 
dertake to make good his boast, and each made a wager of his 
lands on the result. 

Hauailiki set sail for Hawaii the next day, and on his arrival 
at Keaau was greatly admired for his manly beauty. The fol- 
lowing morning a dense fog enveloped the place, and when it 
cleared away he saw seven women sitting by the seaside, one of 
whom was Laieikawai. 

To attract her attention Hauailiki for four successive days 
appeared before her in the surf, performing many difficult feats 
of swimming and diving, but she gave him no heed. On the 
fifth day he exhibited his skill in surf-swimming, and won ap- 
plause from all but Laieikawai. He then showed himself as a 
surf-swimmer without a board. His skill was then recognized 
by Laieikawai, and she beckoned him to approach, and threw 
around his neck a lei lehua, or garland of lehua blossoms. Im- 
mediately the fog settled down, and when it cleared Laieikawai 
and her party had left for Paliuli. 

Hauailiki and his guide determined to follow the party at 
once, and, traveling all night, they reached Paliuli in the morn- 
ing. Approaching the house, they were met by Maile-haiwale, 
the first sentinel, who ordered them to retire. But they passed 
her by force, as they did the second, third and fourth guards, 
until they met Kahalaomapuana near the door of the house, rest- 
ing on the wings of birds. She ordered them back, threatening 
that the birds should pick their bones, and they returned in haste 
to Keaau. 

Undecided what course to pursue, Hauailiki dreamed of meet- 
ing Laieikawai sevenil nights in succession, and at last resolved 
to visit Paliuli again and without an attendant. Reaching the 
spot, he approached the house by a back path without encoun- 
tering the sentinels, and found Kahalaomapuana asleep at the 
door. He pushed aside the feather curtain, entered the room, 
and found Laieikawai asleep, resting on the wings of birds. He 
awoke her, and she ordered him away. He pleaded with her 
and told her of his dreams, but she insisted upon his departure. 
Kahalaomapuana then came to the assistance of her mistress, 
and drove the importunate suitor back to Keaau. 

Abandoning the undertaking as hopeless, Hauailiki returned 



466 THE LEGENDS ANJD MYTHS OF HA WAII. 

to Kauai. Arriving at Wailua, he was welcomed by a large 
gathering of chiefs, and when he had told his story Aiwohikupua 
generously forgave him his wager. 

Rejoiced to learn that his sisters had become the attendants 
of Laieikawai, Aiwohikupua resolved to revisit Paliuli. He as- 
sembled a fleet of twenty double and thirty single canoes, forty 
peleleus for his attendants, and a triple canoe for himself and 
counselor, and set sail for Hawaii. 

Waka knew of the arrival of the fleet at Keaau, and admon- 
ished Laieikawai not to visit the coast. The sisters were put on 
guard, and Kahalaomapuana summoned to their defence their 
terrible patron god Kihanuilulumoku, a 7noo, or gigantic lizard. 

The night following these preparations Aiwohikupua and his 
guide made their appearance at Paliuli. Five tabu sticks, cov- 
ered with white kapa, had been set at intervals beyond the 
house ; but the invaders disregarded them and pushed on, until 
they encountered Maile-haiwale, the first sentinel. She ordered 
them to retire, and sent a bird to summon the rest of her sisters. 
The youngest came, borne on the wings of birds, and drove her 
brother back, telling him that they were no longer sisters of his. 

Aiwohikupua returned to Keaau, resolved to secure by force 
what he had been unable to effect by strategy. He therefore 
sent up to Paliuli a detachment of ten warriors, but they were 
promptly slain by the lizard god. After waiting for two days he 
sent another detachment of twenty warriors, with a competent 
oflficer, and all of them shared the same fate. He next sent forty 
men, and still other forties, until eight forties in all had perished. 

He next despatched his two swift messengers to inquire 
about the fate of his warriors. They met a bird-catcher above 
Olaa, who told them of the moo and his dreadful work. Pre- 
sently they heard the roaring of the wind and the crash of falling 
trees, and the monster appeared in the path before them. They 
reassumed their bird forms, however, and escaped by flying. 

Aiwohikupua then summoned Kalahumoku, the man-eating 
dog from Kahiki, to kill the moo and bring to him Laieikawai ; 
and with the dog he sent his two bird messengers, to bring him 
early tidings of the result. 

As the two monsters met, a column of fog rose and drifted 
toward the sea. This warned Aiwohikupua that the dog had 
been defeated. Late in the day the animal returned, badly 



THE STORY OF LAIEIKA WAI. 467 

wounded and with ears and tail missing, and the whole party set 
sail for Kauai. 

Arriving home, Aiwohikupua thought of his engagement with 
the beautiful Poliahu, and began to perform certain expiatory 
rites to relieve himself of the oath he had taken not to marry 
a woman of the Hawaiian Islands. He then sent his two bird 
messengers to Poliahu, to inform her that he was preparing to 
fulfil his engagement. 

By mistake the birds flew to Hana. They inquired for the 
betrothed of the Kauai chief, and were directed to Hinaikaraa- 
lama. They informed her that three months were to be spent in 
preparation, and that in the fourth month, in the night of ktilu, 
Aiwohikupua would come to claim his bride. These were the 
words they had been instructed to speak to Poliahu, but by mis- 
take they were told to another, who joyously replied : " He re- 
members, then, the game of konane which we played together." 

On the return of the bird messengers the blunder was dis- 
covered, and they were banished from the court. Then the koae, 
or tropic bird, was sent to Poliahu with the same message with 
which the others had been entrusted. 

Aiwohikupua, relieved of his oath, waited until the 24th day 
of the third month, and then set sail in great state, with forty 
double and eighty single canoes, and twenty peleleus. On the 
nth day of the fourth month he arrived at Kawaihae, and de- 
spatched the koae to inform Poliahu, who named Waiulaula as 
the place for the marriage. 

To give brilliancy to the ceremony Aiwohikupua dressed his 
petty chiefs, male and female, in feather cloaks, and many of his 
female attendants in fine mats. He wore the white mantle given 
to him by Poliahu, and a red feather helmet. His rowers were 
clad in fine red ka^as. On the platform of the chief's double 
canoe was raised an anu, covered with yellow cloaks, and above 
it stood the tabu puloulou. Around this canoe were ten others, 
carrying musicians skilled in playing the kula drum and other 
instruments. 

On the day of ktilu the three great mountains were covered 
with snow, which was the sign promised by Poliahu. On the 
arrival of Aiwohikupua and his party at Waiulaula they were 
met by Poliahu, Lilinoe, Waiau and Kahoupokane, the three 
latter being mountain goddesses. The men suffered from cold 



468 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIT. 

but on being apprised of the fact Poliahu and her friends re- 
moved their snow mantles, causing the snow on the mountains to 
retire to its usual limits. 

Aiwohikupua and Poliahu were then made man and wife. 
Feasting and music followed, and the happy pair returned to- 
gether to Kauai, making their residence above Honopuwai. 

In revenge for their dismissal the banished bird messengers 
informed Hinaikamalama of the marriage of her betrothed. 
Angered at his perfidy, she persuaded her parents to make a visit 
with her to Kauai. 

There was a gathering of chiefs at Mana, Kauai, to celebrate 
the nuptials of Hauailiki and Makaweli. The night was spent in 
games, dancing and other pastimes. A game of kilu was in pro- 
gress. At midnight Hinaikamalama entered the kilu shed and 
sat down among the circle of players. Observing her, Hauailiki 
requested the mea uuie (drawer) to tell Aiwohikupua to stop the 
hula kaeke and take part in the game of kilu, in order to enable 
him to make her his prize. Accordingly, when Hauailiki won at 
the game, the mea ume went around the circle and threw the maile 
wreath over him. The wreath was then removed and placed 
over the shoulders of Hinaikamalama. She rose to her feet and 
requested permission to speak. She asked in whose honor the 
festival was being given, and, on being informed of the occasion, 
requested Hauailiki to delay the fulfilment of the U7ne, and then 
proceeded to tell her story of the faithlessness of Aiwohi- 
kupua. 

The story created a great sensation, and the conduct of 
Aiwohikupua was universally condemned. Poliahu was enraged 
and returned to Mauna Kea, and the chief agreed to fulfil his 
engagement with Hinaikamalama. The night of their marriage 
Poliahu sent the chill of her snow mantle upon her rival, and she 
was benumbed with cold. Her teeth chattered, and it was with 
difficulty that she could be kept from freezing. 

A second time, when she and Aiwohikupua came together, an 
intense chill came over her. She was frightened, and inquired 
the cause. The chief answered : " The cold is sent by your 
rival. Betake you at once to a fire, that you may not perish." 

The next day at noon they met, as had been previously ar- 
ranged. Poliahu put on her sun mantle, and a scorching heat 
almost consumed her rival. Again they met, but were unable to 



THE STORY OF LAIEIKA WAI. 469 

remain together, and Hinaikamalama unceremoniously left Kauai, 
without even touching noses with Aiwohikupua. 

Before she left for Maui, however, a kilu game was arranged 
at Puuapapai, and Hauailiki, still mindful of his success at Mana, 
endeavored to secure the fruits of his victory. But Hinaikama- 
lama refused to yield, unless the victor would come to Hana in 
proper state and formally make her his wife. 

During the game Poliahu and her companions appeared in 
glittering robes of snow and chilled the assemblage, and the 
next morning they returned to Mauna Kea, while Hinaikamala- 
ma set sail for Hana. 

III. 

The king and queen of Kauai both dying a short time after 
the events just before recorded, they left the sovereignty of the 
island to their son, Kekalukaluokewa. They also left in his 
charge a magical bamboo iohe) called Kanikawi, and enjoined 
upon him a promise to seek out and marry Laieikawai, of whom 
many reports had reached Kauai. 

The new king ordered an immense fleet of canoes for his trip 
to Hawaii, and sailed in the month of Mahoemua, or August. 
At Makahanaloa he saw the rainbow over Keaau, and sailed 
thither. Waka foresaw his coming and advised Laieikawai to 
marry him and become the queen of a whole island. 

After waiting four days Laieikawai and her kahu, the hunch- 
back, went down to Keaau, and watched the king and his two 
favorite companions sporting in the surf. They knew the king 
by his not carrying his own surf -board when he landed. She re- 
turned to Paliuli and informed Waka that she would accept him 
for a husband. 

Waka then arranged that Kekalukaluokewa should go at sun- 
rise the next morning and play in the surf alone ; that a dense 
fog should settle down, under cover of which Laieikawai would 
join him in the surf ; that when the fog raised the two would be 
seen by all riding in together on the same roller, and then they 
were to touch noses. A fog would again envelop them, and then 
birds would bear the pair to Paliuli. She was forbidden to speak 
to any one after leaving the house. 

Now, it appears that Halaaniani, a young man of Puna, noted 



470 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIT. 

for his debaucheries, had often seen Laieikawai at Keaau, and 
ardently longed to possess her. Learning that she was about to 
marry the king of Kauai, he implored his sister, Malio, to exert 
her magical powers in his behalf. She consented, and by her di- 
rection they both went to sleep, and when they awoke related to 
each other their dreams. She dreamed that she saw a bird build- 
ing a nest and leaving it in the possession of another, which was 
a sure omen in favor of Halaaniani. Malio declared that her 
magic powers would prevail over those of Waka, and gave her 
brother minute instructions, which he strictly observed, as will 
appear. 

They went to the beach and saw Kekalukaluokewa swimming 
alone in the surf. Soon the fog of Waka settled down on the 
land. A clap of thunder was heard as Laieikawai reached the 
surf. A second peal resounded, invoked by Malio. The fog 
lifted, and three persons instead of two were seen in the surf. 
This was noted with surprise on shore. 

When the first roller came the king said, " Let us go ashore," 
and he rode in on the breaker with Laieikawai, while Halaaniani 
remained behind. At that moment the king and his companion 
touched noses. Three times they rode in on the waves, while 
Halaaniani, as directed by his sister, remained outside among 
the rollers. 

The fourth time Laieikawai asked the king why he desired to 
repeat the sport so often. " Because," said he, " I am not used 
to the short surf ; I prefer to ride on the long rollers." The fifth 
was to be the last time for the Kauai king and his promised 
bride. 

As soon as the two started for the shore Halaaniani seized 
Laieikawai by the feet and held her back, so that the surf -board 
slipped from her grasp, and Kekalukaluokewa was borne to the 
shore without her. She complained of the loss of her surf-board, 
and it was restored to her. 

Halaaniani persuaded her to swim farther out to sea with him, 
telling her not to look back, as he would let her know when they 
reached his surf. After swimming for some time she remon- 
strated, but he induced her to continue on with him. At last he 
told her to look back. 

" Why," said she, in amazement, " the land is out of sight, 
and Kumukahi, the sea-god, has come to stir the waves ! " 



THE STOR Y OF LAIEIKA WAT. 47 1 

" This is the surf of which I told you," he replied ; " we will 
wait and go in on the third roller. Do not in any case let go of 
your surf-board." 

Then he prayed to his patron deity, and the breakers began 
to rise. As the third came thundering on, he exclaimed, " Fae 
kaiia ! " and, mounting the roller, they started for the shore. 
Laieikawai was in the overhanging arch of the wave, and, looking 
up, saw Halaaniani poised with great skill on the crest. At that 
moment she began to yield to the seductive fascination of Ha- 
laaniani. 

As they came in, Waka supposed her companion to be Keka- 
lukaluokewa, and she sent down the birds in the fog ; and when it 
cleared away Laieikawai and Halaaniani were occupants of the 
feather-house at Paliuli, where their union was consummated. 

Waka wondered why her granddaughter did not come to her 
that night or the next day, as had been promised, and the day 
following she went to the house to learn if anything serious had 
happened. Laieikawai and her husband were sleeping soundly. 
Waka was enraged, for the man was not the one she had se- 
lected. 

Waking her granddaughter and pointing to the man, she ex- 
claimed, "Who is this?" 

" Kekalukaluokewa," was the answer. 

" No," returned Waka ; " this is Halaaniani, the brother of 
Malio ! " 

Angered at the deception, Waka declared that she would de- 
prive Laieikawai of her powers and privileges, and desired never 
to behold her face again. 

Abandoning Laieikawai, Waka resolved to assume the charge 
of her twin-sister, Laielohelohe, and wed her to the king of 
Kauai. She had been left, it will be remembered, with the priest 
of Kukaniloko, on the island of Oahu. To this end Waka had a 
new house erected, and, borrowing a double canoe from Kekalu- 
kaluokewa, sailed at once for Oahu. 

Arriving at Kukaniloko, she offered a pig as a propitiation, 
and explained her errand to Kapukaihaoa, who approved her 
plans and delivered Laielohelohe into her charge. 

After an absence of thirty-three days Waka returned to 
Keaau with the sister of Laieikawai. At her command the fog 
gathered, and they were secretly borne by birds to their new 



472 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 

house at Paliuli. Within three days she had a consultation with 
Kekakikaluokewa in relation to his marriage with Laielohelohe. 
She directed him to build a large kilu shed, and there assemble 
the people of the district, that the ceremony might be celebrated 
with becoming pomp. 

Meanwhile, Halaaniani had seen Laielohelohe, and determined 
to secure her for himself. With this object he persuaded Laiei- 
kawai to go down to Keaau with him for a few days of sea- 
bathing, leaving her faithful attendants behind. Arriving there, 
he told her that he was about to visit his sister, Malio, and if he 
did not return in two days she might consider him dead. 

On the twelfth day the five sisters went down to Keaau and 
joined their mistress in wailing over her husband, whom she be- 
lieved to be dead. Soon after they all had dreams of Halaaniani 
with another woman, and concluded to cease their mourning and 
return to Paliuli. 

Halaaniani visited his sister and induced her to assist him in 
his designs concerning Laielohelohe. She advised him to watch 
her for four days, and report his observations. He did so, and 
reported that her chief occupation was stringing lehua flowers ; 
and he climbed a tree to observe her, while his sister sounded the 
pulai, or //-leaf trumpet, five times, and again five times ; but 
Laielohelohe did not take the slightest notice of it. 

The next morning they went there again, and. he climbed a 
tree with a mass of lehua blossoms, and threw them down before 
her, while his sister played the ha?io, a sweet-toned wind instru- 
ment. This attracted the attention of Laielohelohe, and, without 
seeing the musician, she expressed her thanks. 

The morning following they repeated these manoeuvres three 
times. Then Laielohelohe spoke and said : " If the musician 
is a woman, let us touch noses." 

With this Malio showed herself, and proposed that she should 
touch noses with her brother first. This angered her, and she 
ordered both of them to leave. 

MaUo admitted her failure, but promised to resort to super- 
natural agencies, and win Laielohelohe for her brother on her 
wedding-day, as had been done with Laieikawai. 

About this time Waka went down to communicate to Kekalu- 
kaluokewa her programme for the marriage ceremonies, fixed for 
the day following. He was to order the people and his court to 



THE S TOR V OF LA IE IK A IV A I. 473 

assemble at the appointed place, and at noon was to retire to his 
own house. She would then cover the land with a thick mist, 
and the singing of birds would be heard ; first the quack of the 
alae and the chirruping of ewaewaiki, on hearing which he would 
step without the house. Next he would hear the singing of the 
00, which would indicate that she was about to send to him Laie- 
lohelohe. Then would be heard the notes of the iiwipolena, and 
his bride would be near him. Lastly, he would hear the singing 
of the ka'huli, and they would meet apart from the assemblage, 
when thunder would peal, the earth would quake, and the people 
would tremble. Then the two would be borne upward by birds, 
the mist would clear away, and they would be seen resting upon 
the birds in glory. 

Laieikawai and the five sisters were anxious to witness the 
coming display, of which they had heard, and Kahalaomapuana 
engaged the tnoo god, Kihanuilulumoku, to convey them thither 
at the appointed time. 

Malio assured her brother again that her power would prevail 
over the efforts of Waka, and the preliminaries of the ceremony 
began. At noon Kekalukaluokewa, dressed as became the occa- 
sion, entered his house, as had been arranged. He heard the 
singing of birds, came forth in the fog, and awaited the coming of 
his bride. A clap of thunder followed, when the fog lifted, and 
Laielohelohe and Halaaniani were seen rising in the air on the 
wings of birds. Laieikawai and her attendants witnessed the as- 
cension, sitting on the tongue of the great moo. 

Believing that he had again lost his bride, Kekalukaluokewa 
sought Waka, to chide her for the failure. " She is not his yet," 
said Waka, "for she has obeyed my command not to speak to or 
touch noses with him " ; and, to reassure the king, she offered to 
stake her life that all would yet be well. 

As they approached the place of assembly Waka again envel- 
oped it in fog, and immediately sent Kekalukaluokewa upward 
in the air on the wings of birds. When the fog cleared away, 
Kekalukaluokewa and Laielohelohe were beheld sitting together, 
upborne by birds, and the multitude shouted, " Jloao na 'Hi! e! ' 
( " the chiefs are married ! ") 

When Waka heard these acclamations she appeared before 
the congregation and denounced Laieikawai in the most oppro- 
brious terms. The latter departed in shame and rage, and was 



474 ^-^^ LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIT. 

carried by the moo, together with the five sisters, to Olaa, where 
she took up her residence. 

Halaaniani's misdemeanors finally brought him into great 
contempt, and he was despised and condemned by all. The 
Kauai king returned home with his bride, taking with him Waka. 
On their way they stopped at Oahu to take on board the priest 
Kapukaihaoa, who became the prime minister of Kauai. 

IV. 

The sisters of Aiwohikupua, chagrined at what had befallen 
their mistress, resolved to send Kahalaomapuana to Kealohilani, 
in a far-distant land, to bring their brother, Kaonohiokala, to 
marry Laieikawai, in order that she might triumph over Waka. 

Accordingly, she started on her voyage, being carried by the 
gigantic moo god, Kihanuilulumoku. Meantime, Laieikawai and 
her train made a pleasure trip around Hawaii, first to Kau, then 
to Kona, and next to Kohala. 

Becoming discouraged, the old prophet of Kauai had left 
Kaiwilahilahi, Hawaii, and started for his native island. Touch- 
ing at Waimea, he saw the well-known rainbow over Kaiopae, a 
half-hour's journey north of Kawaihae, and followed it to Moolau, 
and then to Puakea, in Kohala, where he finally met and con- 
versed with Laieikawai. 

He procured a double canoe for the party, and they sailed 
together to Laie, Oahu, where he learned the history of Laiei- 
kawai. That night his guardian deity informed him in a dream 
that she was the person he had been seeking for so long, and 
directed him to take the party to Haena, Kauai. In the morn- 
ing he offered a pig and fowl before her, and obtained her con- 
sent for him to become her guardian. They then sailed for 
Kauai, and settled at Honopuwaiakua. 

In one of his subsequent tours the prophet found, on arriving 
at Wailu,a, that all the virgin daughters of the petty chiefs and 
courtiers on Kauai had been collected there, in order that Aiwo- 
hikupua might select two new wives to take the places of Po- 
liahu and Hinaikamalama. 

The prophet spoke so contemptuously of the girls brought 
there for inspection, and boasted so loudly of the beauty and 
graces of his adopted daughter, that a quarrel arose and he was 



THE STORY OF LAIEIKA WAI. 475 

thrown into prison. He escaped during the night, however, and 
it was reported to the chief that he was dead. He had left a 
banana trunk wrapped in cloth, and it was offered on the altar 
of the heiau in the place of his body. 

At the moment when the deception was discovered the pro- 
phet made his appearance on the platform of a double canoe at 
the mouth of the river, with Laieikawai and the five sisters on 
board Then Laieikawai stepped upon the platform, surround- 
ed with the insignia of a tabu chief, and the winds ceased, the 
sea rose, thunders reverberated, lightnings flashed, and the heiau 
and altar were shaken almost to ruins. 

The assembled multitude shouted in admiration of the 
beauty of Laieikawai, and Aiwohikupua, after recovering from 
the shock of what he had witnessed, sent a herald to demand her 
in marriage. But the prophet proudly answered that she was 
not for such as he, and would marry no one of lower rank than 
the sovereign of an island. They then returned to Honopuwaia- 
kua. 

We will now return to Kahalaomapuana, who was sent to a 
far-distant land in search of her brother, in the hope of making 
him the husband of Laieikawai. For four months the great moo 
swam with her in his mouth, and they arrived at last at Kealohi- 
lani. But the guardian of the place was absent on a visit to the 
Moon, and they awaited his return for twenty days. 

On his arrival he was greatly alarmed at the sight of the gi- 
gantic reptile, lying with his head in the house and his tail in the 
sea, and without a word flew to Nuumealani to consult Kaeloi- 
kamalama, the powerful kupua^ who shut the door of the /^a kapu 
of the Kiikulu Kahiki, where Kaonohiokala was concealed. 

They returned together, the kupiia armed with a laau palau a 
hundred paces long with which to slay the moo. Just as he was 
preparing to strike, the moo stirred his tail in the ocean and sent 
a tremendous breaker rolling inland, and they both started to 
retreat. At that moment the moo cast out Kahalaomapuana on 
the neck of her uncle, Kaeloikamalama. He asked her who she 
was and the object of her visit, which she explained, and also 
their relationship. Then both embraced her affectionately, for 
they were brothers of her mother. 

In furtherance of the purposes of her visit, Kaeloikamalama 
took his niece with him on a ten days' journey to the place of 



476 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 

ascent, where he called upon Lanalananuiaimakua to let down 
the ladder. Before long a sort of spider's web, branching 
through the air, descended. He then gave his niece full direc- 
tions, as follows : " Here is your way to ascend until you see a 
single house standing in the Moon, in the land of Kahakaekaea, 
where dwells Moanalihaikawaokele, your father, an old man with 
long hair and bent head. If he is awake do not approach him, 
lest he see you first, and you die before you have a chance to 
speak. Wait until he is asleep on his back ; then cautiously ap- 
proach from the leeward, spring on his breast, grasp him tightly 
by the beard, and chant the mele in which I will instruct you." 
Instructing her in the mele, he continued : " Explain to him the 
object of your visit, and all will be well." She was about to be- 
girt the ascent when he imparted this final information : " In 
ascending, if fine rain falls and you are chilly, fear not ; it is 
caused by your father. Climb on, and, should you smell fra- 
grance, know that it is caused by your mother and that you are 
approaching the end of your journey. If the sunbeams pierce 
you and the heat beats upon your head, do not fear. Persevere, 
and you will enter the shelter of the Moon and be safe in Kaha- 
kaekaea." 

With these instructions she boldly began the ascent. Climb- 
ing upward without ceasing, toward evening she encountered fine 
rain and mist ; early next morning she smelt the fragrance of the 
shrub kiele ; at midday she suffered from the heat of the sun, 
and in the evening entered the cool shade of the Moon, in the 
land of Kahakaekaea. 

Observing a large house standing alone, she proceeded to the 
lee side, and waited until the old man fell asleep on his back. 
She then grasped his beard and chanted the mele, as instructed 
by her uncle. He awoke, but she held him where lay his 
strength, and his struggles were vain. He asked her who she 
was, and about her relatives, and her answers were satisfactory. 
She then let go his beard and he took her on his knee and 
wailed over her. 

He then inquired the object of her visit, and she related the 
whole story. He informed her that it was not within his power 
to grant her request, and that she must apply to her mother, who 
lived with her son, Kaonohiokala, in a sacred, inaccessible place, 
and only visited Kahakaekaea once every month. 



THE STOR V OF LAIEIKA WAI. 477 

By stratagem she obtained an interview with her mother, 
Laukieleula, and after great persuasion secured her assistance in 
advancing the purposes of her visit. The old woman then sum- 
moned the bird-god, Haluluikekihiokamalama, to take them up 
into the pea kapu of the Kukidu o Kahiki. The bird reached 
down a wing, upon which they both mounted and were carried 
to Awakea (noon), the god who opens the gate of the Sun, where 
dwelt Kaonohiokala (the eye-ball of the sun). 

They found the place shut in by thunder-clouds. They 
called upon Awakea, who rose with intense heat and dispersed 
the clouds, disclosing to their view the prince asleep in the very 
centre of the Sun, where the air was white with heat. He awoke. 
His eyes were like lightning, and his body gleamed like molten 
lava. 

Laukieleula called to him and said : " Your favorite sister is 
here." He looked up, and then summoned the guardians of the 
shade to appear and stand before him. This they promptly did, 
and the heat of the sun was mitigated. His resting-place being 
thus shaded, he called his sister to him and wailed over her, for 
they had been separated for a long time. He inquired the ob- 
ject of her visit, and about their sisters, and brother Aiwohiku- 
pua, and was interested in all that related to them. 

Through the advice of his mother he consented to descend 
and marry Laieikawai, and the signs of his coming, he explained, 
would be as follows : First, there would be a heavy rain and high 
surf before he started. Next, there would be strong wind for ten 
days, followed by thunder without rain ; then he would be in 
Kahakaekaea. When it thundered again twice he would be at 
Nuumealani, and when it thundered thrice he would be in Kealo- 
hilani. There he would lay aside his tabu supernatural form and 
assume the human shape as a high chief. After this there would 
be many portents, such as thunder, lightning, rain, fog, rainbows, 
high seas and mist on the ocean, and in one month thereafter he 
would appear on the mountain ridge at dawn. When the sun 
rose a halo would surround him, and in the evening, when the 
full moon rose in the night of Mahealani, he would appear and 
marry Laieikawai. After this he would punish the enemies of 
his sisters and his bride, As a token he gave to his sister for 
Laieikawai a rainbow-robe. 

Kahalaomapuana was a month in returning to Kealohilani, 



478 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIT. 

where she found the moo in waiting for her. He swam with her 
across the great waters to Hawaii, but, not finding their friends at 
Olaa, he hunted all through the islands, like a dog scenting for his 
master, until he found them at Honopuwaiakua, Kauai. The 
whole trip occupied eleven months and fourteen days. 

Kahalaomapuana gave her friends a full history of her extra- 
ordinary journey, to the dismay of Laieikawai, who was awed at 
the thought of her intended husband. The prophet, who knew 
nothing of the mission of the sister until her return, had pre- 
dicted the coming of Kaonohiokala a month before ; and now he 
traveled around the island warning the people, and advising Ai- 
wohikupua, in particular, to set up tabu flags all around his place 
and collect his family within the precinct ; but he was repelled 
with insult. He gave the 'same advice to Kekalukaluokewa, who 
obeyed it in spite of the opposition of Waka. 

Ten days after the return of Kahalaomapuana the portents 
began to appear in the order already named, and in due time 
Kaonohiokala appeared, surrounded by a halo. Shouts of ac- 
clamation and homage were heard throughout the island, and 
Laieikawai put on her rainbow robe. 

In the evening, as the full moon rose, the prince descended 
from the mountain and came within the circle of the prophet, and 
they all prostrated themselves before him. He spoke graciously 
to them, and told Laieikawai that he had come to make good 
the promise made to her through his sister. Then all shouted, 
" Amana ! tia noa, lele wale aku la .'" 

A rainbow appeared, and on it the prince and his bride were 
suddenly drawn upward to the moon. A few nights after, as the 
moon was directly overhead, a rainbow was let down like a lad- 
der, on which they descended. Summoning the prophet, the 
prince directed him to travel around the island and make pro- 
clamation for all to assemble at the end of ten days at Pihanaka- 
lani. The five sisters, and afterwards the prophet, were taken up 
to dwell in the coolness of the moon. 

One morning the assemblage at Pihanakalani saw the rainbow 
again let down from the moon, and standing upon it were the 
prince and his bride, the five sisters and the prophet. 

Vengeance was executed upon Waka, who was killed by a 
thunderbolt, and upon Aiwohikupua, who was reduced to poverty 
and contempt. Laielohelohe and Kekalukaluokewa were re- 



THE STORY OF LAIEIKA WAL 479 

tained in favor under Kahalaomapuana, who was designated as 
the regent of her brother, and the four other sisters were made 
the governesses of the rest of the islands of the group. 

The affairs of state being thus summarily settled, Kaonohio- 
kala again departed with his bride up the rainbow beyond the 
clouds, to dwell in the pea kapu Kukulu Kahtki, above the 
land called Kahakaekaea. 



Kaonohiokala made quarterly visits to his earthly dominions, 
to see that all went well with their rulers. Laielohelohe had 
grown more beautiful than her sister, and he became enamored 
of her. 

To promote his designs he made Kahalaomapuana joint re- 
gent with Mokukelekahiki in Kealohilani, and appointed Kekalu- 
kaluokewa to the regency of the entire group. He then requested 
the regent to make a tour of the islands, leaving Laielohelohe at 
Pihanakalani. He next applied to her guardian, Kapukaihaoa, 
and gained his consent to aid in her seduction. 

After Kaonohiokala had made two more trips to earth in fur- 
therance of this intrigue, Laielohelohe resolved to seek her hus- 
band, and set sail, accordingly, for the windward islands. She 
found him at Honokalani, Maui, engaged in an amour with Hi- 
naikamalama, the Hana chiefess who had abandoned Aiwohiku- 
pua. After unavailing efforts to reclaim him she returned to 
Kauai. 

Kaonohiokala then renewed his visits, and at last remained a 
year with the deserted wife. The forsaken Laieikawai appealed 
to her father-in-law, who directed her to go to the tabu heiau 
when old Laukieleula was asleep, and consult the bowl of know- 
ledge. It was a wooden bowl, covered with wicker-work, the edge 
of the lid being decorated with feathers, and with carved images 
of birds standing on the rim. She was to remove the lid, insert 
her face in the bowl, and call " Laukapalili ! " to give her the 
knowledge she required. 

She followed these directions and saw what her husband was 
doing on earth. His father and mother also looked, and ob- 
served for themselves the treachery of their son. Straightway 
the ladder was let down to the presence of Kaonohiokala. The 



480 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 

sky was darkened and filled with uncanny forms, and ghastly 
voices wailed through the air, " Ua haule ka lani ! " — " the heaven 
has fallen ! " 

Then the three were seen standing together upon the rainbow 
ladder, and Moanalihaikawaokele proceeded to pronounce judg- 
ment on Kaonohiokala. He was never to return to the upper 
world, and was doomed to become a /apu — a spectre or wander- 
ing ghost — and live on butterflies. 

Kahalaomapuana took his place in the sun. Laieikawai, at 
her earnest request, was restored to earth to live with her sister, 
and the government of the group was entrusted to the prophet. 

Laieikawai had her name changed to J^a wahine o ka Hula — 
" the lady of the twilight " — under which title she was worship- 
ped by certain families after her death. 



LoHiAu, THE Lover of a Goddess. 



48t 



CHARACTERS. 

Pele, the goddess of the volcanoes. 

HiiAKA, one of the sisters of Pele. 

HOPOE, a friend of Hiiaka. 

Pauo-palae and ) ,. . , ^^.. , 

y traveling companions of Huaka. 

LoNOiKAONOLii, One of the brothers of Pele. 

LoHiAU, a prince of Kauai. 

Paoa, a chief of Kauai. 

MiLU, king of the regions of death. 

Kanemilohai, a god from Kahiki. 

Kalamainu and ) , , , , ^, . 

j^ y female demons of Kauai. 

Olepau, king of Maui. 
Waihimano, queen of Maui. 



LOHIAU, THE LOVER OF A GODDESS. 

THE LEGEND OF HIIAKA, THE IMMORTAL, AND THE PRINCE OF 
KAUAI. 

I. 

OF all the legends of the adventures with mortals of Pele, 
the dreadful goddess of the volcanoes, the most weird 
and dramatic is the one relating to her love for Lohiau, a prince 
of the island of Kauai, whose reign was probably contempora- 
neous with that of Kealiiokaloa, of Hawaii, during the early part 
of the sixteenth century. The story is not only a characteristic 
relic of the recklessly imaginative and highly-colored meles of 
the early poets, but an instructive reflex as well of the supersti- 
tions controlling the popular mind of the Hawaiian group at that 
period, when the forests abounded in mischievous gnomes and 
fairies, when the streams were guarded by nymphs and monsters, 
and when the very air was peopled with the spirits of the de- 
parted. But a thin veil then divided the living from the dead, 
the natural from the supernatural, and mortals were made the 
sport of the elements and the playthings of the gods. 

As the mele relates, Pele and her brothers and sisters, to 
amuse themselves with a taste of mortal enjoyments, one day 
emerged from their fiery chambers in the crater of Kilauea, and 
went down to the coast of Puna to bathe, surf-ride, sport in the 
sands, and gather edible sea-weed, squid, limpets and other de- 
licacies washed by the waves. They assumed human forms for 
the occasion, and therefore had human appetites. 

While the others were amusing themselves in various ways — 
eating, laughing and sporting in the waves in the manner of mor- 
tals — Pele, in the guise of an old woman, sought repose and 
sleep in the shade of a hala tree. Her favorite sister was Hiiaka, 
her full name being Hiiaka-ika-pali-opele. She was younger 
than Pele, and frequently occupied the same grotto with her un- 
der the burning lake of Kilauea. 
483 



484 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 

Hiiaka accompanied her sov^ereign sister to the shade of the 
hala tree, and, sitting devotedly beside her, kept her cool with a 
kahili. Her eyelids growing heavy, Pele instructed Hiiaka to 
allow her under no circumstances to be disturbed, no matter how 
long she might sleep, whether for hours or days, and then closed 
her eyes in slumber. 

Scarcely had the ears of the sleeper been closed by the fin- 
gers of silence before she heard the sound of a drum — distant, 
but distinct and regular in its beat, as if to the impulse of music. 
Before leaving the crater she had heard the same sound, but paid 
little attention to it. Now, however, when hearing it in her 
dreams, her curiosity was aroused, and, assuming v her spiritual 
form, she resolved to follow it. 

Leaving her slumbering earthly body under the eye and care 
of her sister, Pele mounted the air and proceeded in the direc- 
tion whence the sound seemed to come. From place to place 
she followed it over the island of Hawaii ; but it was always be- 
fore her, and she could not overtake it. At Upolu it came to 
her from over the sea, and she followed it to the island of Maui. 
It was still beyond, and she sped to Molokai ; still beyond, and 
she flew to Oahu ; still beyond, and she crossed the channel and 
listened on the shores of Kauai, where it was more distinct than 
she had heard it before. Now encouraged, she continued the 
pursuit until she stood upon the mountain peak of Haupu, when 
she discovered at last that the sound came from the beach at 
Kaena. 

Proceeding thither, and hovering over the place unseen, she 
observed that the sound she had so long been following was that 
of a pahu-hula, or hula drum, beaten by Lohiau, the young and 
comely prince of Kauai, who was noted not only for the splen- 
dor of his hula entertainments, participated in by the most beau- 
tiful women of the island, but for his personal graces as a dancer 
and musician. The favorite deity of Lohiau was Lakakane, the 
god of the hula and similar sports, who in a spirit of mischief 
had conveyed the sound of the drum to the ears of Pele. 

The beach was thronged with dancers, musicians and specta- 
tors, all enjoying themselves under the shade of the hala and 
cocoa trees, with the prince as master of ceremonies and the 
centre of attraction. Assuming the form of a beautiful woman, 
Pele suddenly appeared before the festive throng. Attaching to 



LOHIAU, THE LOVER OF A GODDESS. 485 

her person every imaginable charm of form and feature, her pre- 
sence was immediately noted ; and, a way being opened for her 
to the prince, he received her most graciously and invited her to 
a seat near him, where she could best witness the entertainment. 

Glancing at the beautiful stranger from time to time in the 
midst of his performances, Lohiau at length became so fascinated 
that he failed to follow the music, when he yielded the instrument 
to another and seated himself beside the enchantress. In answer 
to his inquiry she informed the prince that she was a stranger in 
Kauai, and had come from the direction of the rising sun. Gaz- 
ing into her face with a devouring passion, Lohiau smilingly 
said : 

" You are most welcome, but I cannot rejoice that you 
came." 

"x\nd why, since I do not come as your enemy?" inquired 
Pele, archly. 

" Because, until now," returned the prince, "my thought has 
been that there were beautiful women in Kauai ; but in looking 
at yours I find their faces are plain indeed." 

" I see you know how to speak flattering words to women," 
said Pele, casting a languishing look upon the prince. 

" Not better than I know how to love them," replied Lohiau, 
with ardor. " Will you be convinced ? " 

" Lohiau is in his own kingdom, and has but to command," 
answered Pele, with a play of modesty which completed the en- 
thralment of the prince. 



486 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIT. 

rally strong and without disease. Some said he had been prayed 
to death by his enemies, and others that he had been poisoned ; 
but an old kaula, who had seen Pele at Kaena and noted her 
actions, advised against further inquiry concerning the cause of 
Lohiau's death, offering as a reason the opinion that the strange- 
ly beautiful and unknown woman he had taken as a wife was an 
immortal, who had become attached to her earthly husband and 
called his spirit to her. 

The prince was greatly beloved by his people, and his body, 
carefully wrapped in many folds of kapa, was kept in state for 
some time in the royal mansion. It was guarded by the high 
chiefs of the kingdom, and every night funeral hymns were 
chanted around it, and meles recited of the deeds of the dead 
sovereign and his ancestors. Thus lyiiig in state we will leave 
the remains of Lohiau, and follow Pele back to Hawaii. 



II. 

During all the time the spirit of Pele was absent the family 
kept watch over the body left by her under the hala tree, not 
daring to disturb it, and were overjoyed when it was at last re- 
animated, for the fires of the crater of Kilauea had nearly died 
out from neglect. Pele rose to her feet in the form of the old 
woman she had left asleep under the care of Hiiaka, and, without 
at the time mentioning her adventures in Kauai or the cause of 
her protracted slumber, returned with all but one of the family 
to Kilauea, and with a breath renewed the dying fires of the cra- 
ter. Hiiaka asked and received the permission of Pele to remain 
for a few days at the beach with her much-loved friend Hopoe, 
a young woman of Puna, who had been left an orphan by an ir- 
ruption from Kilauea, in which both of her parents had perished. 

On leaving Kauai it is probable that Pele, notwithstanding her 
fervent words to the contrary, never expected or particularly de- 
sired to see Lohiau again ; but he had so endeared himself to her 
during their brief union that she did not find it easy to forget him, 
and, after struggling with the feeling for some time, she resolved to 
send for him. But to whom should she entrust the important 
mission ? One after another she applied to her sisters at the cra- 
ter, but the way was beset with evil spirits, and they refused to go. 

In this dilemma Pele sent her favorite brother, Lonoikaonolii, 



LOHIAU, THE LOVER OF A GODDESS. 487 

to bring Hiiaka from the beach, well knowing that she would not 
refuse to undertake the journey, however hazardous. Hiiaka ac- 
cepted the mission, with the understanding that during her 
absence her friend Hopoe should be kept under the eye and 
guardianship of Pele. 

Arrangements were made for the immediate departure of 
Hiiaka. Pele conferred upon her some of her own powers, with 
an injunction to use them discreetly, and for a companion and 
servant gave her Pauo-palae, a woman of approved sagacity and 
prudence. 

With a farewell from her relatives and many an admonition 
from Pele, Hiiaka took her departure for Kauai, accompanied by 
Pauo-palae. They traveled as mortals, and were therefore sub- 
ject to the fatigues and perils of humanity. Proceeding through 
the forests toward the coast of Hilo, they encountered an old 
woman, who accosted them politely and expressed a desire to fol- 
low them. Her name was Omeo, and she was leading a hog to 
the volcano as a sacrifice to Pele. No objection being made, she 
hurried to the crater with her offering, and returned and followed 
Hiiaka and her companion. 

Not long after, their journey was impeded by a demon of 
hideous proportions, who threw himself across their path in a 
narrow defile and attempted to destroy them. Pele knew their 
danger, however, and ordered her brothers to protect them with 
a rain of fire and thunder, which drove the monster to his den in 
the hills and enabled them to escape. 

After a little time they were joined by another woman, whose 
name was Papau. She desired to accompany them, and pro- 
ceeded a short distance on the Avay, when they were confronted 
by a ferocious-looking man who was either insane or under 
the influence of evil spirits. He lacked either the power or the 
disposition to molest the party, however, and they passed on un- 
harmed ; but Papau screamed with fright and hastily returned to 
her home, where she was turned into a stone as a punishment for 
her cowardice. 

Coming to a small stream crossed by their path, they found 
the waters dammed by a huge moo, or lizard, lying in the bed. 
He was more than a hundred paces in length, and his eyes were 
of the size of great calabashes. He glared at the party: viciously 
and opened his mouth as if to devour them ; but Hiiaka tossed 



488 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 

into it a stone, which became red-hot when it touched his throat, 
and, with a roar of pain which made the leaves of the trees trem- 
ble, he disappeared down the stream. 

After many other adventures with monsters and evil spirits, 
which Hiiaka was able to control and sometimes punish, the party- 
reached the coast at a place called Honoipo, where they found a 
number of men and women engaged in the sport of surf-riding. 
As they were about to start for another trial, in a spirit of mis- 
chief Hiiaka turned their surf -boards into stone, and they fled in 
terror from the beach, fearing that some sea-god was preparing to 
devour them. 

Observing a fisherman drawing in his line, Hiiaka caused to 
be fastened to the submerged hook a human head. Raising it 
to the surface, the man stared at it for a moment with horror, 
then dropped the line and paddled swiftly away, to the great 
amusement of Hiiaka and her companions. 

Embarking in a canoe with two men as assistants, the travelers 
sailed for the island of Maui, which they reached without delay or 
accident. Landing at Kaupo, they traveled overland toward 
Honuaula, near which place, in approaching the palace of the king, 
whose name was Olepau, and who was lying within at the point 
of death, Hiiaka observed a human spirit hovering around the 
outer enclosure. Knowing that it was the half-freed soul or spirit 
of the moi, she seized and tied it up in a corner of \itx pau. 

Passing on with the soul of the king in her keeping, she met 
the queen, Waihimano, and told her that her husband had just 
died. But the queen denied that Olepau was dead, for she was a 
worshipper of two powerful lizard divinities, and the gods had 
assured her that morning that her husband would recover. • 

Saying no more, Hiiaka and her companions went on their 
way, and the queen, returning to the palace, found her husband 
insensible and apparently dead. Trying in vain to restore him, 
she hastily consulted a kaula, telling him what the strange woman 
had said to her. The seer by the description recognized at once 
the sister of Pele, who had come to heal the king, but had been 
deterred in her errand of mercy by the queen's obstinate assu- 
rances of his recovery. He therefore advised that she be fol- 
lowed by a messenger with a spotless pig to be placed as an 
offering in the path before her, when she perchance might return 
and restore the king to life. But Hiiaka dropped behind her 



LOHIAU, THE LOVER OF A GODDESS. 489 

companions and assumed the form of an old woman, and, as the 
messenger did not recognize her, he returned with the report 
that the object of his search could not be found. 

" Did you meet no one ? " inquired the seer. 

" No one answering the description," replied the messenger. 
" I saw only an old woman, so infirm as tc^ be scarcely able to 
walk." 

" Fool ! " exclaimed the kaida. " That old woman was 
Hiiaka in disguise. Hasten back to her, if you would save the 
life of your king ! " 

The messenger again started in pursuit of Hiiaka, but the pig 
was obstinate and troublesome, and his progress was slow. Seiz- 
ing the struggling animal in his arms, the messenger ran until he 
came within sight of the women, who were again traveling to- 
gether, when Hiiaka struck the fold of her pau against a rock, 
and that instant the king expired. 

Reaching the coast and embarking with a fisherman, Hiiaka 
and her companions sailed for Oahu. Landing at Makapuu, they 
journeyed overland to Kou — now Honolulu — and from Haena 
made sail for Kauai. Arriving at Kaena, Hiiaka saw the spirit 
hand of Lohiau beckoning to her from the mouth of a cave 
among the cliffs. Turning to her companions, she said : 

"We have failed ; the lover of Pele is dead ! I see his spirit 
beckoning from \\v?^ pali! There it is being held and hidden by 
the lizard-women, Kilioa and Kalamainu." 

Instructing her companions to proceed to Puoa, where the 
body of Lohiau was lying in state, Hiiaka started at otice for the 
pali, for the purpose of giving battle to the female demons and 
rescuing the spirit of the dead prince. 

Ascending the cliff and entering the cave, Hiiaka waved her 
pau, and with angry hisses the demons disappeared. Search was 
made, and the spirit of Lohiau was found at last in a niche in the 
rocks, where it had been placed by a moonbeam. Taking it ten- 
derly in her hand, she enclosed it in a fold of Yitx pau, and in an 
invisible form floated down with it to Puoa. 

Waiting until after nightfall, Hiiaka entered the chamber of 
death unseen, and restored the spirit to the body of Lohiau. 
Recovering his life and consciousness, the prince looked around 
with amazement. The guards were frightened when he raised 
his head, and would have fled in alarm, had they not been pre- 



490 



THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIT 



vented by Hiiaka, who at that instant appeared before them in 
mortal form. Holding up her hand, as if to command obedience, 
she said : 

" Fear nothing, say nothing of this to any one living, and do 
nothing except as you may be ordered. The prince has returned 
to life, and may recover if properly cared for. His body is weak 
and wasted. Let him be secretly and at once removed to the 
sea-shore. The night is dark, and it may be done without obser- 
vation." 

Not doubting that these instructions were from the gods, the 
guards obeyed them with so much prudence and alacrity that 
Lohiau was soon comfortably resting in a hut by the sea-shore, 
with Hiiaka and her companions ministering to his wants. 

The return of the prince to health and strength was rapid, 
and in a few days he reappeared among his friends, to their 
amazement and great joy. In answer to their inquiries he in- 
formed them that he owed to the gods his restoration to life. 
This did not entirely satisfy them, but no further explanation 
was offered. 

After celebrating his recovery with feasts and sacrifices to the 
gods, Lohiau announced to the chiefs of his kingdom that he 
was about to visit his wife, whose home was on Hawaii, and that 
he should leave the government of the island in the hands of his 
friend, the high-chief Paoa, to whom he enjoined the fealty and 
respect of all during his absence. 

In a magnificent double canoe, bearing the royal standard 
and equipped as became the kaulua of an alii-nui, Lohiau set sail 
for Hawaii, accompanied by Hiiaka and her companions, and 
taking with him his high-priest, chief navigator, and the custom- 
ary staff of personal attendants. 

Touching at Oahu, Hiiaka ascended the Kaala mountains, 
and saw that her beautiful le/um and hala groves near the beach 
of Puna, on the distant island of Hawaii, had been destroyed by 
a lava flow. Impatient at the lon^ absence of Hiiaka, and jeal- 
ous as well, Pele had in a fit of rage destroyed the beautiful sea- 
shore retreats of her faithful sister. She scarcely doubted that 
Hiiaka had dared to love Lohiau, and in her chambers of fire 
chafed for her return. 

After bewailing her loss Hiiaka rejoined her companions, and 
Lohiau embarked for Hawaii. Landing at Kohala, the prince 



LOHIAU, THE LOVER OF A GODDESS. 49 1 

ordered his attendants to remain there until his return, and 
started overland for Kilauea with Hiiaka and her two female 
companions. Before reaching the volcano Hiiaka learned some- 
thing of the jealous rage of Pele, and finally saw from a distant 
eminence her dear friend Hopoe undergoing the cruel tortures of 
volcanic fire, near the beach of Puna, which ended in her being 
turned into stone. 

Approaching the crater with apprehensions of further displays 
of Pele's fury, Hiiaka sent Omeo and Pauo-palae in advance to 
announce to the goddess her return with Lohiau. In her wrath 
she ordered both of the women to be slain at once, and resolved 
to treat her lover in the same manner. 

Aware of this heartless resolution, and unable to avert the 
execution of it, on their arrival at the verge of the crater Hiiaka 
threw her arms around the neck of the prince, whom she had 
learned to love without wrong to her sister, and, telling him of 
his impending fate, bade him a tender farewell. 

This scene was witnessed by Pele. Enraged beyond measure, 
she caused a gulf of molten lava to be opened between Hiiaka 
and the prince, and then ordered the instant destruction of Lo- 
hiau by fire. 

While the sisters of Pele were ascending the walls of the cra- 
ter to execute her orders, Lohiau chanted a song to the goddess, 
avowing his innocence and pleading for mercy ; but her rage 
was rekindled at the sound of his voice, and she turned a deaf 
ear to his entreaties. 

Approaching Lohiau, and pitying him, the sisters merely 
touched the palms of his hands, which turned them into lava, 
and then retired. Observing this, Pele ordered them to return at 
once, under the penalty of her displeasure, and consume the 
body of her lover. 

Lohiau again appealed to Pele, so piteously that the trees 
around him wept with grief; but her only answer was an impatient 
signal to her sisters to resume their work of destruction. In his 
despair he turned to Hiiaka and implored her intercession, but 
she answered in agony that she could do nothing. 

The sisters returned to Lohiau, and reluctantly touched his 
feet, which became stone ; then his knees ; then his thighs ; then 
his breast. By the power conferred upon her by Pele, and of 
which she had not yet been deprived, Hiiaka rendered the body 



492 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIT. 

of the prince insensible to pain, and it was therefore without suf- 
fering that he felt his joints hardening into stone under the touch 
of his sympathizing executioners. 

As the remainder of his body was about to be turned into 
lava, Hiiaka said to the prince : 

" Listen ! When you die go to the leeward, and I will find 
you ! " 

The next moment Lohiau was a lifeless pillar of stone. 

Observing that the cruel work of her sister had been accom- 
plished, and that all that remained of the shapely form of Lohiau 
was a black mass of lava, Hiiaka caused the earth to be opened 
at her feet, and started downward at once for the misty realm of 
Milu to overtake the soul of Lohiau, and, with the consent of 
the god of death, restore it to its body. 

Passing downward through each of the five spheres dividing 
the surface of the earth from the regions of Po, where Milu sits 
in state in the gloomy groves of death, Hiiaka finally stood in the 
presence of the august sovereign of the world of spirits. 

The king of death welcomed her to his dominions, and, in 
response to her inquiry, informed her that the soul of Lohiau 
had not yet reached the abode of spirits. Having no desire to 
return to earth, Hiiaka accepted the invitation of Milu, and, 
watching and waiting for the soul of Lohiau, remained for a time 
in the land of spirits. 

III. 

The attendants of Lohiau remained in Kohala until they 
learned of his fate at the hands of Pele, when they returned to 
Kauai in the royal kaulua, and horrified the friends of the prince 
by relating to them the story of his death. 

Enraged and desperate, Paoa, the faithful and sturdy chief to 
whom Lohiau had confided the government of his kingdom, 
started at once for Hawaii with a small party of retainers, deter- 
mined, even at the sacrifice of his life, to denounce the powers 
that had slain his royal friend. 

Landing on the coast of Puna, he ascended to the crater of 
Kilauea, and, standing upon the brink of the seething lake of 
fire, denounced the cruelty of Pele and defied her power. He 
contemptuously threw to her offerings unfit for sacrifice, and stig- 



LOHIAU, THE LOVER OF A GODDESS. 493 

matized all the volcanic deities as evil spirits who had been 
driven with Kanaloa from the presence of Kane and the society 
of the gods. 

Paoa expected to be destroyed at once, and recklessly courted 
and awaited death. The brothers and sisters of Pele, with their 
several agencies of destruction, were momentarily expecting an 
order from thel goddess to consume the audacious mortal in his 
tracks. Never before had such words of reproach and defiance 
been uttered by human tongue, and they could not doubt that 
swift vengeance would be hurled upon the offender. 

But Pele refused to harm the desperate champion of Lohiau, 
for circumstances had convinced her of the innocence of Hiiaka 
and the fidelity of the prince. Therefore, instead of punishing 
the brave Paoa, Pele and her relatives received him with friend- 
ship, gently chided him for his words of insult and defiance, and 
disarmed his anger by forgiving the offence. 

Satisfied of the great wrong she had done her faithful sister, 
and longing for her presence again in the chambers of the crater, 
Pele restored Pauo-palae and Omeo to life, and, endowing the 
latter with supernatural powers, sent her down to the regions of 
the dead to induce Hiiaka to return to earth. 

Descending through the opening made by Hiiaka, Omeo was 
stopped at the intervening spheres, owing to the aspects of mor- 
tality which she unconsciously retained, and encountered many 
difficulties in reaching the kingdom of Milu. Arriving there 
and making known the object of her visit, Omeo was neither as- 
sisted nor encouraged in her search for Hiiaka. Milu was not 
anxious to part with his distinguished guest, and attempted to 
deceive Omeo by intimating that Hiiaka had returned to earth 
and was then on a visit to some of the relatives of her family in 
Kahiki. 

Omeo was about to return, disappointed, to earth, when she 
discovered Hiiaka as she was listlessly emerging from a thick 
grove of trees where she had spent the most of her time since 
her arrival there in quest of the soul of Lohiau. Their greeting 
was most friendly, and when Omeo informed her of what had 
occurred at the volcano since her departure, she consented to 
leave the land of death and rejoin her relatives at the crater. 

The brothers and sisters of Hiiaka were overjoyed at her re- 
turn, and Pele welcomed her with assurances of restored affec- 



494 ^-^-^ LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 

tion. Paoa was still there. He was at once recognized by Hii- 
aka, and the next day she descended from Kilauea and embarked 
with him for Kauai in search of the soul of Lohiau. 

The canoe of Paoa had scarcely left the shores of Puna be- 
fore a strange craft swept in from the ocean, and was beached at 
the spot from which Hiiaka and her companion had embarked 
less than half a day before. It was a huge cowrie shell, dazzling 
in the brilliancy of its colors, and capable of indefinite expansion. 
Its masts were of ivory, and its sails were mats of the whiteness of 
milk. Both seemed to be mere ornaments, however, since the shell 
moved quite as swiftly through the water without wind as with it. 

The sole occupant of the little vessel was the god Kanemilo- 
hai. He was a relative of the Pele family, and came from Kahi- 
ki on a visit to the volcanic deities of Hawaii. Remaining two 
or three days with Pele, and learning all that had happened to 
the family since they left Kahiki, the god started for Kauai to 
extend a greeting to Hiiaka. 

Proceeding in a direct route, when about midway between the 
two islands the god caught the soul of Lohiau, which had misun- 
derstood the final directions of Hiiaka and was on its way to 
Kauai. Not having gone to the land of spirits, it had been 
searching everywhere for Hiiaka, and had at last taken flight for 
Kauai, when it was intercepted by Kanemilohai. 

The god returned to the crater with the captured spirit, and, 
finding the pillar of stone into which Lohiau had been turned, 
restored the prince to life. As he recovered his consciousness 
and opened his eyes he recognized Pele standing before him. 
Apprehensive of further persecution, he was about to appeal to 
her again for mercy when she said, in a tone as tender as. that in 
which she had first replied to his welcome on the beach at 
Kaena : 

" Fear me no longer. I have been unjust to you as well as to 
Hiiaka. After what I have done I cannot expect your love. 
Find Hiiaka and give it to her. She loves you, and knows how 
to be kind to a mortal." 

Lohiau would have thanked the goddess, but when he looked 
again she was gone, and in her place stood Kanemilohai^ who 
told him to take the shell vessel he would find at the beach be- 
low, and proceed to Kauai, where he would probably meet Hii' 
aka and his friend Paoa. 



LOHIAU, THE LOVER OF A GODDESS. 495 

Lohiau hesitated, for there was something in the appearance 
of Kanemilohai that inspired a feeling of awe. 

" Go, and fear nothing," said the god, who knew the thoughts 
of the prince. " The shell was not made in the sea or by human 
hands, but it will bear you safely on your journey, no matter 
how rough the waves or great its burden." 

" The coast of Puna is a day's journey in length," said Lo- 
hiau. "Where and how will I be able to find the shell?" 

"Hasten to the shore at Keauhou," returned the god, "and 
you will see me there." 

Arriving at the beach designated, the prince was surprised to 
find Kaneinilohai already there ; but he found something more to 
excite his wonder when the god took from a crevice in the rocks, 
where it had been secreted, a shell no larger than the palm of his 
hand, and passed it to him with the announcement that it was 
the barge in which he was to sail for Kauai. 

Lohiau examined the little toy with something of a feeling of 
amusement, but more of perplexity, and was about to return it to 
his strange companion, when the latter instructed him to place 
the shell in the edge of the waters. The prince obeyed, and in- 
stantly found before him the beautiful craft in which the god 
had made his journey from Kahiki. 

The power being conferred upon him by the god to contract 
or extend the proportions of the shell at his will, Lohiau entered 
the enchanted vessel of pink and pearl, and, directing its course 
by simply pointing his finger, was swiftly borne out into the 
ocean. 

Rounding the southern cape of Hawaii, Lohiau thought of 
proceeding directly to Kauai ; but he pointed too far to the 
northward, and the next morning sighted Oahu. Passing the 
headland of Leahi, he turned and entered the harbor of Hou. 
Landing, he contracted to the dimensions of a limpet, and se- 
creted in a niche in the rocks, his obedient barge, and then pro- 
ceeded to the village, where, he learned to his great joy, Hiiaka 
and Paoa were tarrying on a visit. Hou was at that time the 
scene of great merriment and feasting. It had become the tem- 
porary residence of the alii-nui, and high-chiefs, kahunas, adven- 
turers, and noted surf-riders and hula performers had congre- 
gated there from all parts of the island. 

Ascertaining that an entertainment of great magnificence was 



496 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIT. ■ 

to be given that evening by a distinguished chiefess in honor of 
Hiiaka and her companion, Lohiau resolved to be present. Had 
he made himself knovi^n he would have been entitled to the con- 
sideration of the highest — would have been, indeed, the guest of 
the alii-nui, with the right of entrance anywhere ; but fancy 
prompted him to hide his rank and appear in disguise among the 
revelers. 

Early in the evening the grounds of the chiefess were lighted 
with hundreds of torches, and under a broad pavilion, festooned 
and scented with fragrant vines and flowers, the favored guests, 
enwreathed and crowned with leaf and blossom, partook without 
stint of such delicacies as the land and sea produced. After the 
feast, song and music filled the air, and bands of gaily-decked 
dancers kept step among the flaring torches, while around the 
doors of the mansion white-bearded bards chanted wild legends 
of the past and sang the mele-inoas of the hostess and her dis- 
tinguished guests. 

In the midst of this inspiring revelry the guests divided into 
groups as their several tastes suggested. Some strolled out 
among the dancers, others listened to the stories of the bards, 
and one party, including Hiiaka, Paoa and the hostess, entered 
the mansion to engage in the game of kilu. It was a pastime of 
which singing or chanting was a part, and the chiefess was noted 
for her proficiency in the popular amusement. 

Lohiau entered the grounds at the close of the feast, and 
stood watching the festivities when the party of kilu players re- 
tired to the mansion. He had turned inward the feathers of his 
mantle of royal yellow, and, with his long hair falling over his 
face and shoulders, was readily mistaken for a kahuna. 

Quite a number of persons thronged around the kilu players 
to witness the game, and Lohiau entered the room without hin- 
drance. Approaching the players, he screened himself behind the 
kapas of two old chiefs who were so intently regarding the per- 
formance that they did not observe him. 

The game progressed until the kilu fell to Hiiaka, and as she 
threw it she chanted a song of her own composing, in which the 
name of Lohiau was mentioned with tenderness. The song 
ceased, and from behind the spectators came the answering voice 
of the prince. As he sang he brushed back the hair from his 
handsome face and turned outward the yellow feathers of his 



LOHIAU, THE LOVER OF A GODDESS. 497 

mantle. The throng divided, the singer advanced, and before 
the players stood Lohiau, the prince of Kauai. 

He was recognized at once. Hiiaka threw herself into his 
arms, and the faithful Paoa wept with joy. Informed of the rank 
of the distinguished visitor, the guests vied with each other in 
showing him honor, and the festivities were renewed and carried 
far into the night. 

Learning the next day of the presence near his court of the 
sovereign of Kauai, the alii-nui would have entertained him in a 
manner befitting the high rank of both ; but Lohiau was anxious 
to return to his people, and set sail for Kauai at once in the shell 
barge of Kanemilohai, expanded to adequate dimensions, taking 
with him Hiiaka and Paoa. 

Although Hiiaka soon after returned to Hawaii and effected 
a complete reconciliation with her sister, while Lohiau lived she 
spent much of her time in Kauai. Hopoe was restored to life, 
and Omeo, or Wahineomeo, was given an immortal form for what 
she had done, and became thereafter the mediator between the 
volcanic deities. 



Kahavari, Chief of Puna. 



CHARACTERS. 

Pele, goddess of volcanoes. 

Kahavari, chief of Puna. 

Ahua, companion of Kahavari. 

Kapoho and ) 

Kaohe \ '^"'^^'^^^^ °^ Kahavari. 



KAHAVARI, CHIEF OF PUNA. 



A STORY OF THE VENGEANCE OF THE GODDESS PELE. 

BETWEEN Cape Kumakahi, the extreme eastern point of the 
island of Hawaii, and the great lava flow of 1840, which 
burst forth apparently from a long subterranean channel con- 
necting with the crater of Kilauea, and went down to the sea at 
Nanawale over villages and groves of palms, is a small historic dis- 
trict which, notwithstanding the repeated volcanic disturbances 
with which it has been convulsed in the past, the chasms with 
which it has been rent, and the smoke and ashes that have shut 
out the light of the sun and driven its people to the protection of 
their temples, still possesses many fertile nooks and natural at- 
tractions. Within a few miles of each other, not far inland, are a 
number of extinct craters ; but the rains are abundant in Puna, 
and spring is eternal, and the vegetation grows rank above hid- 
den patches of lava, and is constantly stretching and deepening 
its mantle of green over the vitreous rivers of Kilauea and the 
lower and lesser volcanic vents clinging to its base like so many 
cauterized ulcers. 

The valleys are green in that part of Puna now, and there the 
banana and the bread-fruit grow, and the ohia and pineapple 
scent the air. But so has it not always been, for the mango 
ripens over fields of buried lava, and the palms grow tall from the 
refilled chasms of dead streams of fire. The depression of Ka- 
poho, now sweet with tropical odors, marks the site of a sunken 
mountain, and where to-day sleep the quiet waters of a lake once 
boiled a sea of liquid lava, in a basin broader, perhaps, than the 
mighty caldron of Kilauea. 

We are now about to speak of one of the many irruptions 
which at intervals in the past poured their desolating torrents of 
fire through the district, alternately loved and hated by Pele, the 
dreadful goddess of the volcanoes. In connection with it tradi- 



502 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIT. 

tion has brought down a tale combining elements of simplicity- 
and grandeur strikingly characteristic of the mythological le- 
gends of Polynesia — legends equaling the Norse in audacity, but 
lacking the motive and connecting causes of the Greek. They 
are simply legendary epics, beginning in caprice and abruptly 
ending, in many instances, in grandest tumult. They are like 
chapters torn from a lost volume — patches of disturbed elements 
and gigantic forms and energies clandestinely cut from a passing 
panorama and placed in the foreground of strange and inharmo- 
nious conditions. They embrace gods reminding us of Thor, 
monsters more hideous than Polyphemus, demi-gods mighty as. 
the son of Thetis, and kings with strains reaching back to the 
loins of gods ; but in motive and action they were independent 
of, and not unfrequently hostile to, each other. No celestial 
synod shaped their course or moved them to effort, and to nO' 
authority higher than their individual wills were they usually re- 
sponsible. Many of them were created with no reference to the 
necessity of their being or the maintenance of divine respect or 
authority, and not a few seem to have been the creations of ac- 
cident. 

As an example the demi-god Maui may be mentioned. As 
told by tradition, his principal abode was Hawaii, although his 
facilities for visiting the other islands of the group will be con- 
sidered ample when it is stated that he could step from one tO' 
another, even from Oahu to Kauai, a distance of seventy miles. 
When he bathed — and bathing was one of his greatest delights — 
his feet trod the deepest basins of the ocean and his hair was 
moistened with the vapor of the clouds. Neither his creator 
nor the purpose of his creation is mentioned ; but he was blest 
with a wife with proportions, it is presumed, somewhat in keep- 
ing with his own, and as an evidence of their attachment it is re- 
lated that at one time he reached up and seized the sun, and held 
it for some hours motionless in the heavens, to enable his indus- 
trious spouse to complete the manufacture of a piece of kapa 
upon which she was engaged. 

And Kana was another gigantic being of similar proportions. 
He, too, was partial to Hawaii, and could step from island to 
island, and frequently stood for his amusement with one foot on 
Oahu and the other either on Maui or Kauai. Tradition may 
have confounded these two monsters ; but, as Kana was wifeless,. 



KAHAVARI, CHIEF OF PUNA. 503 

Ave are constrained to regard them as distinct ; and, being without 
the care of a wife, he was enabled to devote his entire attention 
to himself and the inhabitants of the islands crawling at his feet. 
Hence, when the king of Kahiki, who was the keeper of the sun, 
shut its light from the Hawaiians for some trivial offence, Kana 
waded the ocean to the home of the vindictive monarch, and by- 
threats compelled him to restore the light to the Hawaiian group. 
This done, he waded back and hung his mantle to dry on Mauna 
Kea, which was then an active volcano. Another demi-god of the 
same name is also referred to in some of the early 77ieles of Ha- 
waii. He was the son of Hina, who went with his brother to the 
rescue of their mother, who had been during their infancy ab- 
ducted by the son of the king of Molokai. He was endowed by 
his grandmother, a sorceress from one of the southern islands, 
with the faculty of so elongating and contracting his person as 
to be able to pass through the deepest waters with his head at 
all times above the surface. 

The shadows of these and other monsters are seen far back 
in the past ; but human beings of gigantic proportions, of nat- 
ural birth and claiming no connection with the gods, are men- 
tioned in Hawaiian folk-lore as having lived as late as the be- 
ginning of the sixteenth century. Thus, during the reign of 
Umi, king of Hawaii, whose romantic ascent to the throne is the 
theme of chant and song, and to whom the past and present dynas- 
ties of united Hawaii trace their descent, lived the giant Mauka- 
leoleo. He was one of Umi's warriors, and must have been a 
mighty host in himself. His measure in feet is not recorded, but 
he stood upon the ground and plucked cocoanuts from the tall- 
est trees, and once, without wetting his loins, strode out into 
six fathoms of water and saved the life of his chief. As the tra- 
ditions relating to Umi are quite elaborate and circumstantial, 
the existence of Maukaleoleo cannot well be doubted, however 
greatly we may feel disposed to curtail his proportions. 

But, in groping among these monsters of the Hawaiian past, 
we have been led somewhat from the story of the irruption in 
Puna, to which reference has been made. However, as perti- 
nent to it, and to the goddess whose wrath invoked it, it may be 
mentioned that many centuries ago a family of gods and god- 
desses came to Hawaii from Tahiti and took possession of the 
volcanic mountains of that island. The family consisted of five 



504 "^^E LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIT. 

brothers and nine sisters, of which Pele was the principal deity. 
The others possessed specific powers and functions, such as con- 
trolling the fires, smoke, steam, explosions, etc., of the volcanoes 
under their supervision. Although they frequently dwelt in 
other volcanoes, their principal and favorite abode was the crater 
of Kilauea. Almost without exception they were destructive 
and merciless. Temples were erected to Pele in every district 
menaced by volcanic disturbance, and offerings of fruits, ani- 
mals, and sometimes of human beings were laid upon her altars 
and thrown into the crater to secure her favor or placate her 
wrath. In the legend of "The Apotheosis of Pele "a more ex- 
tended reference is made to the goddess and her family. 

With this knowledge of the power and disposition of Pele, the 
reader will be prepared for the story of the exhibition of her 
wrath in Puna, which will now be related nearly in the language 
of tradition. The event occurred during the reign of Kahouka- 
pu, who from about 1340 to 1380 was the alii-nui, or governing 
chief, of Hawaii. The chief of the district of Puna was Kaha- ~ 
vari, a young noble distinguished for his strength, courage and 
manly accomplishments. How he came to be chief or governor 
of Puna is not stated. As his father and sister lived on Oahu, he 
was probably a native of that island, and may have been advanc- 
ed to his position through military service rendered the Hawaiian 
king, since it was customary in those days, as it was at later 
periods, for young men of martial tastes to seek adventure and 
employment at arms with the kings and chiefs of neighboring 
islands. 

The grass-thatched mansion of the young chief was near Ka- 
poho, where his wife lived with their two children, Paupoulu and 
Kaohe ; and at Kukii, no great distance away, dwelt his old 
mother, then on a visit to her distinguished son. As his taro 
lands were large and fertile, and he had fish-ponds on the sea- 
shore, he entertained with prodigality, and the people of Puna 
thought there was no chief like him in all Hawaii. 

It was at the time of the monthly festival of Lono. The day 
was beautiful. The trade-winds were bending the leaves of the 
palms and scattering the spray from the breakers chasing each 
other over the reef. A holua contest had been announced be- 
tween the stalwart young chief and his favorite friend and com- 
panion, Ahua, and a large concourse of men, women and chil- 



KAHAVARI, CHIEF OF PUNA. 505 

dren had assembled at the foot of the hill to witness the exciting 
pastime. They brought with them drums, ohes, ulilis, rattling 
gourds and other musical instruments, and while they awaited 
the coming of the contestants all frolicked as if they were children 
— frolicked as was their way before the white man came to tell 
them they were nearly naked, and that life was too serious a thing 
to be frittered away in enjoyment. They ate ohias, cocoanuts 
and bananas under the palms, and chewed the pith of sugar- 
cane. They danced, sang and laughed at the hula and other 
sports of the children, and grew nervous with enthusiasm when 
their bards chanted the meles of by-gone years. 

The game of holua consists in sliding down a sometimes long 
but always ?teep hill on a narrow sledge from six to twelve feet 
in length, called a papa. The light and polished runners, bent 
upward at the front, are bound quite closely together, with cross- 
bars for the hands and feet. With a run at the top of the sliding 
track, slightly smoothed and sometimes strewn with rushes, the 
rider throws himself face downward on the narrow papa and dashes 
headlong down the hill. As the sledge is not more than six or 
eight inches in width, with more than as many feet in length, one 
of the principal difficulties of the descent is in keeping it under 
the rider ; the other, of course, is in guiding it ; but long prac- 
tice is required to master the subtleties of either. Kahavari was 
an adept with the. papa, and so was Ahua. Rare sport was there- 
fore expected, and the people of the neighborhood assembled 
almost in a body to witness it. 

Finally appearing at the foot of the hill, Kahavari and his 
companion were heartily cheered by their good-natured auditors. 
Theix papas were carried by attendants. The chief smiled upon 
the assemblage, and as he struck his tall spear into the ground 
and divested his broad shoulders of the kihei covering them, the 
wagers of fruit and pigs were three to one that he would reach the 
bottom first, although Ahua was expert with the papa, and but a 
month before had beaten the champion of Kau on his own ground. 

Taking their sledges under their arms, the contestants laugh- 
ingly mounted the hill with firm, strong strides, neither thinking 
of resting until the top was gained. Stopping for a moment pre- 
paratory to the descent, a comely-looking woman stepped out 
from behind a clump of undergrowth and bowed before them. 
Little attention was paid to her until she approached still nearer 



506 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 

and boldly challenged Kahavari to contest the Jiolua with her in- 
stead of Ahua. Exchanging a smile of amusement with his com- 
panion, the chief scanned the lithe and shapely figure of the 
woman for a moment, and then exclaimed, more in astonishment 
than in anger : " What ! with a woman ? " 

" And why not with a woman, if she is your superior and you 
lack not the courage ? " was the calm rejoinder. 

" You are bold, woman," returned the chief, with something 
of a frown. " What know you of ^^ papa ? " 

" Enough to reach the bottom of the hill in front of the chief 
of Puna," was the prompt and defiant answer. 

" Is it so, indeed ? Then take the papa and we will see ! " said 
Kahavari, with an angry look which did not seem to disturb the 
woman in the least. 

At a motion from the chief, Ahua handed his papa to the 
woman, and the next moment Kahavari, with the strange con- 
testant closely behind him, was dashing down the hill. On, on 
they went, around and over rocks, at break-neck speed ; but for 
a moment the woman lost her balance, and Kahavari reached the 
end of the course a dozen paces in advance. 

Music and shouting followed the victory of the chief, and, 
scowling upon the exultant multitude, the woman pointed to the 
hill, silently challenging the victor to another trial. They mount- 
ed the hill without a word, and turned for another start. 

" Stop ! " said the woman, while a strange light flashed in her 
eyes. " Your papa is better than mine. If you would act fairly, 
let us now exchange ! " 

" Why should I exchange ? " replied the chief, hastily. " You 
are neither my wife nor my sister, and I know you not. Come " ! 
And, presuming the woman was following him, Kahavari made 
a spring and dashed down the hill on his papa. 

With this the woman stamped her foot, and a river of burning 
lava burst from the hill and began to pour down into the valley 
beneath. Reaching the bottom, Kahavari rose and looked be- 
hind him, and to his horror saw a wide and wild torrent of lava 
rushing down the hillside toward the spot where he was stand- 
ing ; and riding on the crest of the foremost wave was the wo- 
man — now no longer disguised, but Pele, the dreadful goddess 
of Kilauea — with thunder at her feet and lightning playing with 
her flaming tresses. 



KAHAVARI, CHIEF OF PUNA. 507 

Seizing his spear, Kahavari, accompanied by Ahua, fled for 
his life to the small eminence of Puukea. He looked behind, 
and saw the entire assemblage of spectators engulfed in a sea of 
fire. With terrible rapidity the valleys began to fill, and he knew ■ 
that his only hope of escape was^in reaching the ocean, for it was 
manifest that Pele was intent upon his destruction. He fled to 
his house, and, passing it without stopping, said farewell to his 
mother, wife and children, and to his favorite hog Aloipuaa. 
Telling them that Pele was in pursuit of him with a river of fire, 
and to save themselves, if possible, by escaping to the hills, he 
left them to their fate. 

Coming to a chasm, he saw Pele pouring down it to cut off 
his retreat. He crossed on his spear, pulling his friend over 
after him. At length, closely pursued, he reached the ocean. 
His brother, discovering the danger, had just landed from his 
fishing canoe and gone to look after the safety of his family. 
Kahavari leaped into the canoe with his companion, and, using 
his spear for a paddle, was soon beyond the reach of the pursu- 
ing lava. Enraged at his escape, Pele ran some distance into the 
water and hurled after him huge stones, that hissed as they 
struck the waves, until an east wind sprang up and carried him 
far out to sea. 

He first reached the island of Maui, and thence by the way of 
Lanai found his way to Oahu, where he remained to the end 
of his days. All of his relatives in Puna perished, with hundreds 
of others in the neighborhood of Kapoho. But he never ven- 
tured back to Puna, the grave of his hopes and his people, for he 
believed Pele, the unforgiving, would visit the place with another 
horror if he did. 

Pele had come down from Kilauea in a pleasant mood to 
witness the hohia contest ; but Kahavari angered her unwittingly, 
and what followed has just been described. 



Kahalaopuna, the Princess of 
Manoa. 



CHARACTERS. 

Kahaukani, male, and ) , ., , , , , . , 

^^ , , Y children of supernatural birth. 

Kauahuahine, female, ) ^ 

KoLOWAHi, guardian of Kahaukani. 

Pohakukala, guardian of Kauahuahine. 

Kahalaopuna, daughter of Kahaukani and Kauahuahine. 

Kauhi, the betrothed of Kahalaopuna. 

Keawaavakiihelei and ) 

,, > inferior chiefs. 

Kumauna, ) 

Mahana, a young chief. 

Akaaka, father of Kahaukani and Kauahuahine. 

Kaea. a sorcerer. 

Elepaio, a bird-god. 



KAHALAOPUNA, THE PRINCESS OF 
MANOA. 

A LEGEND OF THE VALLEY OF RAINBOW 
I. 

MANOA is the most beautiful of all the little valleys leaping; 
abruptly from the mountains back of Honolulu and cool- 
ing the streets and byways of the city with their sweet waters. 
And it is also the most verdant. Gentle rains fall there more fre- 
quently than in the valleys on either side of it, and almost everr 
day in the year it is canopied with rainbows. Sometimes it is- 
called, and not inappropriately, the Valley of Rainbows. 

Why is it that Manoa is thus blessed with rains, thus orna- 
mented with rainbows, thus cradled in everlasting green ? Were 
a reason sought among natural causes, it would doubtless be- 
found in a favoring rent or depression in the summit above the 
valley, and overlooking the eastern coast of Oahu, where wind 
and rain are abundant. But tradition furnishes another expla- 
nation of the exceptionally kind dealings of the elements with 
Manoa — not as satisfactory, perhaps, as the one suggested, but 
very much more poetic. 

Far back in the past, as the story relates, the projecting spur 
of Akaaka, above the head of Manoa Valley, was united in mar- 
riage with the neighboring promontory of Nalehuaakaaka. A 
growth of lehua bushes still crowns the spur in perpetual witness- 
of the union. Of this marriage of mountains twin children were 
born — a boy named Kahaukani, which signified Manoa wind, and 
a girl called Kauahuahine, which implied Manoa rain. At their 
birth they were adopted by a chief and chiefess whose names, 
were Kolowahi and Pohakukala. They were brother and sister,, 
and cousins, also, of Akaaka. The brother took charge of the boy,, 
and the sister assumed the custody and care of the girl. Reared 
apart from each other, and kept in ignorance of their close re- 



512 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

lationship, thr(/ugh the management of their foster-parents they 
were brought together at the proper age and married. The fruit 
of this union was a daughter, who was given the name of Kaha- 
laopuna, and who became the most beautiful woman of her time. 
Thus it was that the marriage of the Wind (Kahaukani) and Rain 
(Kauahuahine) of Manoa brought to the valley as an inheritance 
the rainbows and showers for which it has since been distin- 
guished. 

'l"o continue the story of the ancient bards of Oahu, Kahalao- 
puna — or Kaha, as the name will hereafter be written — grew to 
a surpassingly beautiful womanhood. A house was built for her 
in a grove of sandal-trees at Kahaiamano, where she lived with a 
few devoted servants. The house was embowered in vines, and 
two poloulou, or tabu staves, were kept standing beside the en- 
trance, to indicate that they guarded from intrusion a person of 
high rank. Her eyes were so bright that their glow penetrated 
the thatch of her kale, and a luminous glimmer played around its 
openings. When bathing a roseate halo surrounded her, and a 
similar light is still visible, it is claimed, whenever her spii'it re- 
visits Kahaiamano. 

In infancy Kaha was betrothed to Kauhi, a young chief of 
Kailua, whose parents were so sensible of the honor of the pro- 
posed union that they always provided her table \\\\\\poi of their 
own making and choice fish from the ponds of Kawainui. The 
acceptance of these favors placed her under obligations to the 
parents of Kauhi and kept her in continual remembrance of her 
betrothal. Hence she gave no encouragement to the many chiefs 
of distinction who sought to obtain glimpses of her beauty and 
annoyed her with proffers of marriage. The chief to whom she 
was betrothed was, like herself, of something more than human 
descent, and she felt herself already bound to him by ties too 
sacred to be broken. 

The fame of her beauty spread far and near, and people came 
from long distances to catch glimpses of her from lands adjoin- 
ing, as she walked to and from her bathing-pool or strolled in 
the shelter of the trees surrounding her house. Among those 
who many times approached her dwelling but failed to see her 
were Keawaawakiihelei and Kumauna, two inferior chiefs, whose 
eyes were disfigured by an unnatural distention of the lower lids. 
In ungenerous revenge, and envious of those who had fared bet- 



KAHALAOPUNA, THE PRINCESS OF MA NO A. 513 

ter, they decked themselves with leis of flowers, and, repairing to 
the bathing-place at Waikiki, boasted that the garlands had been 
placed around their necks by the beautiful Kaha, with whom they 
affected the greatest intimacy. 

Among the bathers at that popular resort was Kauhi. Al- 
though the day fixed for his marriage with Kaha was near at hand, 
he had never seen her — this being one of the conditions of the be- 
trothal. The stories of the two miscreants were repeated until 
Kauhi at length gave them credence, and in a fit of jealous fury 
he resolved to kill the beautiful enchantress who had thus trifled 
with his love. 

Leaving AVaikiki in the morning, he reached Kahaiamano 
about midday. Breaking from a pandanus-tree a heavy cone of 
nuts with a short limb attached, he presented himself at the 
house of Kaha. She had just awoke from a nap, and was about 
to proceed to her bathing-pond, when she was startled at observ- 
ing a stranger at her door. He did not speak, but from frequent 
descriptions she at length recognized him as Kauhi, and with some 
embarrassment invited him to enter. Declining, and admitting 
his identity, he requested her to step without, and she unhesitat- 
ingly complied. His first intention was to kill her at once ; but 
her supreme loveliness and ready obedience unnerved him for 
the time, and he proposed that she should first bathe and then 
accompany him in a ramble through the woods. 

To this she assented, and while she was absent Kauhi stood by 
the door, moodily watching the bright light playing above the pond 
where she was bathing. He was profoundly impressed with her 
great beauty, and would have given half the years of his life to 
clasp her in his arms unsullied. The very thought intensified his 
jealousy ; and when his mind reverted to the disgusting objects 
upon whom he believed she had bestowed her favors, he resolved 
to show her no mercy, and impatiently awaited her return. 

Finishing her bath and rejoining him at the door, her beauty 
was so enrapturing that he was afraid to look at her face, lest he 
might again falter ; it was therefore with his back turned to her 
that he declined to partake of food before they departed, and 
motioned her to follow him. His actions were so strange that 
she said to him, half in alarm : 

"Are you, indeed, angered with me? Have I in anyway dis- 
pleased you ? Speak, that I may know my fault ! " 



514 THE LEGEXDS AND MYTHS OF HAWAII. 

" Why, foolish girl, what could you have done to displease 
me ? " replied Kauhi, evasively. 

"Nothing, I hope," returned Kaha ; "yet your look is cold 
and almost frightens me." 

" It is my mood to-day, perhaps," answered Kauhi, increasing 
his pace to give employment to his thoughts ; " you will think 
better of my looks, no doubt, when we are of longer acquaint- 
ance." 

They kept on together, he leading and she following, until 
they reached a large rock in Aihualama, when he turned ab- 
ruptly, and, seizing the girl by the arm, said : 

" You are beautiful — so beautiful that your face almost 
drives me mad ; but you have been false and must die ! " 

Kaha's first thought was that he was making sport with her ; 
but when she looked up into his face and saw that it was stern 
and smileless, she replied : 

" If you are resolved upon my death, why did you not kill 
me at home, so that my bones might be buried by my people ? 
If you think me false, tell me with whom, that I may disabuse 
your mind of the cruel error possessing it." 

" Your words are as fair as your face, but neither will deceive 
me longer ! " exclaimed Kauhi ; and with a blow on the temple 
with the cone of liala nuts, which he was still carrying, he laid 
her dead at his feet. Hastily digging a hole beside the rock, he 
buried the body and started down the valley toward Waikiki. 

He had scarcely left before a large owl — a god in that guise, 
who was related to Kaha and had followed her — unearthed the 
body, rubbed his head against the bruised temple, and restored 
the girl to life. Overtaking Kauhi, Kaha sang behind him a 
lament at his unkindness. Turning in amazement, he observed 
the owl flying above her head, and recognized the power that had 
restored her to life. 

Again ordering Kaha to follow him, they ascended the ridge 
dividing the valleys of Manoa and Nuuanu. The way was beset 
with sharp rocks and tangled undergrowth, and when Kaha 
reached the summit her tender feet were bleeding and \\tx pau 
was in tatters. Seating herself on a stone to regain her breath, 
with tears in her eyes she implored Kauhi to tell her whither he 
was leading her and why he had sought to kill ner. His only 
reply was a blow with the hala cone, which again felled her dead 



KAHALAOPUNA, THE PRINCESS OF MANOA. 515 

to the earth. Burying the body as before he resumed his way 
toward Waikiki. 

Again flying to the rescue of his beautiful and sinless relative, 
the owl-god scratched away the earth above her and restored 
her once more to life. Following Kauhi, she again chanted a 
song of lament behind him, and begged him to be merciful to 
one who had never wronged him, even in thought. Hearing her 
voice, he turned, and without answer conducted her across the 
valley of Nuuanu to the ridge of Waolani, where he killed and 
buried her as he had done twice before, and the owl-god a third 
time removed the earth from the body and gave it life. 

She again overtook her merciless companion, and again plead- 
ed for life and forgiveness for her unknown fault. Instead of 
softening his heart, the words of Kaha enraged him, and he re- 
solved not to be thwarted in his determination to take her life. 
Leading her to the head of Kalihi valley, where she was for the 
fourth time killed, buried and resurrected as before, he next con- 
ducted her across plains and steep ravines to Pohakea, on the 
Ewa slope of the Kaala mountains. He hoped the owl-god 
would not follow them so far, but, looking around, he discovered 
him among the branches of an ohia tree not far distant. 

As Kaha was worn down with fatigue, it required but a 
slight blow to kill her the fifth time, and when it was dealt to 
the unresisting girl her body was buried under the roots of 
a large koa tree, and there left by Kauhi, satisfied that it 
could not be reached by the owl-god. Repairing to the spot 
after the departure of Kauhi, the owl put himself to the task of 
scratching the earth from the body ; but his claws became en- 
tangled with the roots, which had been left to embarrass his 
labors, and, after toiling for some time and making little or no 
progress, he abandoned the undertaking as hopeless, and, re- 
luctantly left the unfortunate girl to her fate, following Kauhi to 
Waikiki. 

Bat there had been another witness to these many deaths and 
restorations of Kaha. It was a little green bird that had flitted 
along unobserved either by Kaha or her companion, and had 
followed them from Kahaiamano, flying from tree to tree and 
making no noise. Noting with regret that the owl-god had 
abandoned the body of Kaha, the little bird, which was a cousin 
to the girl and a supernatural being, flew with haste to the 



5 1 6 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 

parents of Kaha, and informed them of all that had happened to 
their daughter. 

The girl had been missed, but as some of her servants had 
recognized Kauhi, and had seen her leave the house with him, 
her absence occasioned no uneasiness ; and when the little green 
bird, whose name was Elepaio, recounted to the parents the story 
of Kaha's great suffering and many deaths, they found it dif- 
ficult to believe that Kauhi could have been guilty of such fiend- 
ish cruelty to the radiant being who was about to become his 
wife. They were, convinced of Elepaio's sincerity, however, and 
with great grief prepared to visit the spot and remove the re- 
mains of Kaha for more fitting interment. 

Meantime the spirit of the murdered girl discovered itself to 
Mahana, a young chief of good address, who was returning from 
a visit to Waianae. Directed by the apparition, he proceeded to 
the koa tree, and, removing the earth and roots, discovered the 
body of Kaha. He recognized the face at once, notwithstanding 
the blood and earth stains disfiguring its faultless regularity. 
He had seen and become enraptured with its beauty at Kahaia- 
mano, and on one occasion, which lived in his memory like a 
beautiful dream, he had been emboldened by his love to ap- 
proach sufficiently near to exchange modest words and glances 
with it. 

Gently removing the body from the shallow pit in which it 
had been buried, Mahana found to his great joy that it was still 
warm. Wrapping it in his kihei, or shoulder scarf, and covering 
it with maile ferns and ginger, he tenderly bore it in his arms to 
his home at Kamoiliili. As he walked he chanted his love and 
scarcely felt his burden. Reaching home, he laid the body upon 
a kapa-moe, and earnestly implored his elder brother to restore it 
to life, he being a kahuna and having skill in such matters. 

Examining the body and finding that he could do nothing 
unaided, the brother called upon their two spirit-sisters for as- 
sistance, and through their instrumentality the soul of Kaha was 
once more restored to its beautiful tenement. But it was some 
time before she fully recovered from the effects of her cruel 
treatment — some time, in fact, before she was able to walk with- 
out support. In her convalescence Mahana was her considerate 
and constant companion, and found no greater pleasure than in 
providing her with the delicacies to which she had been accus- 



KAHALAOPUNA, THE PRINCESS OF MANOA. 5 I 7 

tomed. She was greatly benefited by the waters of the under- 
ground cave of Mauoki, to which she was frequently and secret- 
ly taken, and under the watchful care of Mahana she was at 
length restored to health. 



II. 



With her recovery, in the home of her new friends at Kamoi- 
liili, Kaha was introduced to a life that was new to her ; but it 
was by no means an unpleasant change from the restraints of 
her listless and more sumptuous past behind the protecting 
shadows of \itx puloulous, where she was jealously watched, and 
where rank closed her doors to congenial companionship. She 
repaired to an unfrequented beach, and, unobserved, played with 
the shifting sands and sang to the waves, and at night went with 
Mahana to the reef with torch and spear in search of fish and 
squid. 

Knowing that her restoration to life could not be long kept 
from her relatives, Mahana told her that his love for her was 
great, and asked her to become his wife. 

" I shall never love any one better than Mahana," replied 
Kaha ; " but from infancy I have been betrothed to Kauhi ; my 
parents, the Wind and Rain of Manoa, have promised that I shall 
be his wife, and while he lives I can be the wife of no other." 

The argument that Kauhi had forfeited all right to her by 
his cruelties failed to shake her resolution, and the brother of 
Mahana advised him to in some manner compass the death of 
Kauhi. To this end they apprised the parents of Kaha of her 
restoration to life, and conspired with them to keep secret the 
information for a time. This they were the more disposed to do 
because of their uncertainty concerning what Kauhi might again 
attempt should he find the girl alive. 

In pursuance of the plan adopted, Mahana learned from 
Kaha all the songs she had chanted to mollify the wrath of 
Kauhi while she was following him through the mountains, and 
then sought the kihc houses of the king and chiefs in the hope of 
encountering his rival. It was not long before they met, under 
just such circumstances as Mahana desired. He discovered 
Kauhi engaged with others in the game of kilu, and joined the 
party as a player. The kilu passed from the hand of Kauhi to 



5l8 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIT. 

Mahana, who, on receiving it, began to chant the first of Kaha's 
songs. 

Surprised and embarrassed, Kauhi, in violation of the rules 
of the game, stopped the player to inquire where he had learned 
the words of the song he was singing. The answer was that he 
had learned them from Kaha, the noted beauty of Manoa, who 
was a friend of his sister, and was then visiting them at their 
home. Knowing that she had been deserted by the owl-god, and 
feeling assured that Kaha was no longer living, Kauhi denounced 
as a falsehood the explanation of the player. Bitter words fol- 
lowed, and but for the interference of friends there would have 
been bloodshed. 

They met the next day at the kilu house, and in the evening 
following, when similar scenes occurred between Mahana and 
his rival, Kauhi became so enraged at length that he admit- 
ted that he had killed the beautiful Kaha of Manoa, and de- 
clared the Kaha of Mahana to be an impostor, who had heard 
of the death of the real Kaha and audaciously assumed her 
name and rank. He then challenged Mahana to produce the 
woman claiming to be Kaha, agreeing to forfeit his life should 
she prove in flesh and blood to be the one whom he knew to be 
dead, and subjecting Mahana to a like penalty in the event of the 
claimant proving to be other than the person he represented her 
to be. 

It had been the purpose of Mahana to provoke his rival to 
a combat with weapons, but the challenge of Kauhi presented 
itself as a more satisfactory means of accomplishing the object of 
his aim, and he promptly accepted it ; and, that both might be 
more firmly bound to its conditions, they were repeated and 
formally ratified in the presence of the king and principal chiefs 
of the district. 

The day fixed for the strange trial arrived. It was to be in 
the presence of the king and a number of distinguished chiefs, 
and Akaaka, the grandfather of Kaha, had been selected as one 
of the judges. Inius had been erected near the sea-shore by 
the respective friends of the contestants, in which to roast alive 
the vanquished chief, and dry wood for the heating was piled 
beside them. 

Fearing that the spirit of the murdered girl might be able to 
assume a living appearance, and thus impose upon the judges. 



KAHALAOPUNA, THE PRINCESS OF MANOA. 5 19 

Kauhi had consulted the priests and sorcerers of his family, and 
was advised by Kaea to have the large and tender leaves of the 
ape plant spread upon the ground where Kaha and her attendants 
before the tribunal were to be seated. " When she enters," said 
the kaula, "watch her closely. If she is of flesh her weight 
will rend the leaves ; if she is merely a spirit the leaves where 
she walks and sits will not be torn." 

On her way to Waikiki, the place designated for the trial, 
Kaha was accompanied by her parents, friends and servants, and 
also by the two spirit-sisters of Mahana, who had assumed human 
forms in order to be better able to advise and assist her, if occa- 
sion required. They informed her of Kaea's proposed test with 
ape leaves, and advised her to quietly tear and rend them as far 
as possible for some distance around her, in order that the spirit- 
friends beside her, who would be unable to do as much for them- 
selves, might thereby escape detection. If discovered, they would 
be exposed to the risk of being killed by the poe-poi-uhane, or 
spirit-catchers. 

Arriving at Waikiki, Kaha and her companions repaired to 
the large enclosure in which the trial was to take place. The 
king, chiefs, judges and advisers of Kauhi were already there, 
and thousands of spectators were assembled in the grounds ad- 
joining. The ape leaves had been spread, by the consent of the 
king, as advised by Kaea, and Kaha entered with her friends and 
advanced to the place reserved for them. Not far from her 
stood Kauhi. As he bent forward in anxiety and looked into her 
star-like eyes, with a sinking heart he saw that their reproachful 
gleam was human, and knew that he had lost the wager of his 
life. 

Observing her instructions, Kaha took pains to quietly rend 
and rumple the ape leaves under and around her. So far as she 
was concerned, the test was satisfactory. The evidence of the 
leaves torn by her feet could not be questioned. Kaea was 
therefore compelled to admit that Kaha was a being of flesh and 
bone ; but in his disappointment he declared that he saw and felt 
the presence of spirits in some manner connected with her, and 
would detect and punish them. 

Irritated at the malice of the kaula, Akaaka advised him to 
look for the faces of the spirits in an open calabash of water. 
Eagerly grasping at the suggestion, Kaea ordered a vessel of 



520 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 

clear water to be brought in, and incautiously bent his eyes over 
it. He saw only the reflection of his own face. Akaaka also 
caught a glimpse of it, and, knowing it to be the spirit of the 
seer, he seized and crushed it between his palms, and Kaea fell 
dead to the earth beside the calabash into which he had been 
peering. 

Akaaka then turned and embraced Kaha, acknowledging that 
she was his granddaughter, and that her purity and obedience 
rendered her worthy of the love of the bold upland of Akaaka, 
and of her parents, the Wind and Rain of Manoa. 

The curiosity of the king was aroused, and he demanded an 
explanation of the strange proceedings he had just witnessed. 
Kaha told her simple story, and Kauhi, on being interrogated, 
could deny no part of it. As an excuse for his barbarous con- 
duct, however, he repeated, and attributed his jealous rage to, 
the boastful assertions of Kumauna and Keawaawakiihelei. The 
slanderers were sent for at once, and, on being confronted by 
Kaha, admitted that they had never seen her before, and that 
they had boasted of their intimacy with her to make others 
envious of their good fortune. 

"Well," replied the king, after listening to the confessions of 
the miscreants, "as your efforts in exciting the envy of others 
have brought terrible suffering to an innocent girl, I now pro- 
mise you something of which no one, I think, will envy you. 
You will be baked alive with Kauhi ! If you have friends among 
the gods, pray to them that the hiius may be hot and your suffer- 
ings short ! " 

The ivius were ordered to be heated at once, and Kauhi and 
the two calumniators were thrown into them alive and roasted. 
The first went to his death bravely, chanting a song of defiance 
as he proceeded to the place of execution, but the others vainly 
struggled and sought to escape. The retainers of Kauhi were so 
disgusted with his cruelty to Kaha that they transferred their 
allegiance to her, and the lands and fishing rights that had been 
his were given to Mahana at once. 

" And how do you intend to reward the young chief who haz- 
arded his life for you ? " inquired the king, pleasantly addressing 
Kaha as he rose to depart. 

" With my own, O king ! " replied the girl, advancing to Ma- 
hana and laying her head upon his breast. 



KARA LA OP UNA , THE PRIXCESS OF MANOA . 5 2 I 

" So shall it be, indeed," returned the king. " I have said it, 
and you are now the wife of Mahana." 

In his gratitude the happy young chief threw himself at the 
feet of the king and said : 

" I am your slave, great king ! Demand of me some great 
service or sacrifice, that you may know that I am grateful ! " 

" Even as you desire," returned the king, " I will put you to 
a task that will tax to the utmost your patience." 

" I listen, O king ! " said Mahana, resolutely. 

"The sacrifice I ask," resumed the king, with a merry twinkle 
in his eye, " is that for full three days from this time you embrace 
not your bride." 

" A sacrifice, indeed ! " exclaimed Mahana, catching the kind- 
ly humor of the request, and slyly glancing at the downcast face 
of Kaha. " It is — " 

" Too great, I see, for one whose beard is not yet fully 
grown," interrupted the king. " Well, I withdraw the request. 
The girl is yours ; take her with you without conditions ! " 



Here the story of the trials of Kaha should end ; but it does 
not. Some time during the night following the death of Kauhi 
a tidal wave, sent by a powerful shark-god, swept over and de- 
stroyed the imiis in which the condemned men had been roasted, 
and their bones were carried into the sea. Through the power 
of their family gods Kumauna and Keawaawakiihelei were trans- 
formed into two peaks in the mountains back of Manoa Valley 
while Kauhi, who was distantly related to the shark-god, was 
turned into a shark. 

For two years Kaha and her husband lived happily together, 
surrounded by many friends and enjoying every comfort. Her 
grandfather, Akaaka, visited her frequently, and, knowing of 
Kauhi's transformation and vindictive disposition, admonished 
her to avoid the sea. For two years she heeded the warning ; 
but one day, when her husband was absent and her mother was 
asleep, she ventured with one of her women to the beach to wit- 
ness the sports of the bathers and surf-riders. As no harm came 
to the swimmers, and the water was inviting, she finally borrowed 



522 THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF HA WAIL 

a surf-board, and, throwing herself joyfully into the waves, was 
carried beyond the reef. 

This was the opportunity for which Kauhi had long waited. 
Seizing Kaha, and biting her body in twain, he swam around 
with the head and shoulders exposed above the water, that the 
bathers might note his triumph. The spirit of Kaha at once re- 
turned to the sleeping mother and informed her of what had be- 
fallen her daughter. Waking and missing Kaha, the mother 
gave the alarm, and with others immediately proceeded to the 
beach. The bathers, who had fled from the water on witness- 
ing the fate of Kaha, confirmed the words of the spirit, and 
canoes were launched in pursuit of the shark, still exhibiting his 
bloody trophy beyond the reef. 

Swimming with the body of Kaha just far enough below the 
surface to be visible to the occupants of the canoes, the monster 
was followed to Waianae, where in shallow waters he was seen, 
with other sharks, to completely devour the remains. This ren- 
dered her restoration to life impossible, and the pursuing party 
returned sadly to Waikiki. 

With the final death of Kaha her parents relinquished their 
human lives and retired to Manoa Valley. The father is known 
as Manoa Wind, and his visible form is a small grove of hau 
trees below Kahaiamano. The mother is recognized as Manoa 
Rain, and is often met with in the vicinity of the former home of 
her beloved and beautiful daughter. 

The grandparents of Kaha also abandoned their human 
forms, Akaaka resuming his personation of the mountain spur 
bearing his name, and his august companion nestling upon his 
brow in the shape of a thicket of lehua bushes. And there, 
among the clouds, they still look down upon Kahaiamano and 
the fair valley of Manoa, and smile at the rains of Kauahuahine, 
which day by day renew their beauty, and keep green with ferns 
and sweet with flowers the earthly home of Kahalaopuna. 



Appendix. 



APPEJ^DIX. 



HAWAIIAN LEGENDS: GLOSSARY. 



EXPLANATORY NOTE. 



! in thiry ; of I as in 
on is in giving the 



) consonants 



The Hawaiian alphabet proper contains but twelve letters, five vowels and seven conso- 
nants, namely : A, E, I, O, U, H, K, L, M, N, P, W. To these are sometimes added R, T 
and B. No appreciable distinction, however, is observed between the sounds of R and L, T 
and K, and B and P. 

The almost invariable sound of A is as pronounced in iather ; of ] 
mar/ne ; of O as in mole ; of U as in mate. The only general dev 
vowels long and short sounds. W takes the sound of V in most cases. 

Every word and every syllable of the language ends in a vowel, an( 
cur without a vowel sound between them. 

The accent of nine-tenths of the words in the language is on the penultimate. 

The indefinite article is Ae.- the definite article ia or ie ; the plural takes the prefix 
of na. 

The " O " beginning the metrical lines of chants and me/es is not always employed as an 
interjection. It is used chiefly as a prefix to personal nouns and pronouns in the nominative 

AM, fire. 

Ahinahina, the color of gray. 

Aka, a shadow. 

Akua, a spirit or god. 

Akepaa, the liver. 

Akemama, the lungs. 

Aku, a mythical bird, sacred to the 
high priesthood. 

Ala, a path, road or way. 

Ala-nm, a great path. 

Alaula, the red path ; the dawn. 

Aho, a breath. 

Aha-ida, a feather cape worn by 
chiefs. 

Alae, a sacred bird. 

Alii-koa, a military leader ; a gen- 
eral. 

Aloha, love; love to you; a greeting 
or salutation. 

Alii, a chief. 

Alii-Mui, a great or principal chief. 

Alii-niaupio, Alii-pio, Alii-naha, Alii- 
wohi and Lo-alii, different grades 
of chiefs. 



Aa, the root of any vegetation. 

Ae, the affirmaiive; yes, 

Ao, light. 

Aaakoko, a vein or artery. 

Auwiiia la, afternoon. 

Akane, an intimate friend. 

Aole, the negative; no. 

At, food of an}' kind. 

Auhau, any tax due to a chief. 

Au, a current ; the gale. 

Auwae, the chin. 

Aumoe, midnight. 

Aouli, the sky. 

Aumakua, the spirit of a deceased 
ancestor. 

Alio, chiefs permitted to eat with the 
king. 

Ahiahi, evening. 

Aha-alii, chiefs of accepted and irre- 
vocable rank. 

Aha, a sacred tabu prayer, during 
which any noise was death. 



526 



APPENDIX. 



Anu, a receptacle in the inner 
temple from which issued the 
oracles. 

Anaana, the process of praying an- 
other to death. 

Anuentie, a rainbow. 

Ana, a cave or cavern. 

Apapani, a little song-bird. 

Awa, a plant ; an intoxicating drink 
made of azoaj a harbor. 

Awakea, noon. 



Ea, breath ; air; a fish tabu to women. 
Eleele, black, or dark blue. 
Eha, pain. 



7a, general name for fish. 

le, a vine for decorating idols. 

In, a sacred or tabued place. 

Ihe, a javelin used in war. 

lo, the human flesh. 

Ihimanu, a fish tabu to women. 

Ihu, the nose. 

Iku.nuu. of the ro}'al strain. 

Iku-pau, of the priestly or sacred 
strain. 

Hi, the smallest division of land ; 
the bark ; the skin. 

Imu, an oven for cooking. 

Ilio, a dog ; a stingy person. 

Imu-loa, an oven for baking men. 

Jpu, a calabash ; a vessel ; a con- 
tainer. 

Iliahi, sandal-wood. 

Iwi, a small bird with yellow feath- 
ers ; the bone. 



O, a fork, or pointed implement used 

in eating. 
Oo, a bird with yellow feathers, used 

in making royal mantles. 
Oa, the rafters of a house. 
Oi-e, a name for the godhead. 
Oala, a club thrown in battle. 
Ohia, a native apple-tree ; the fruit 

of the ohia. 
Ohia-apane , a species of ohia wood 

used in making idols. 
Oho, hair. 
Ohu, fog. 
Oho-kui, a bushy wig sometimes 

worn in battle. 
Ola, life. 



Oinaomao, green. 

One, sand. 

Onionio, striped. 

Olai, an earthquake. 

Onini, a surf-board. 

Ohio, a narrow stone adze. 

07na, a space between two armies 
where sacrifices were made ; the 
prime minister, or first officer un- 
der the king. 

Opelu, a fish sacred to the priest- 
hood. 

Opu, the stomach. 

Ouiili, a surf-board made of wiliwili 
wood. 

u. 

Ua, a sea-bird ; rain. 

Uau, a large marine bird. 

Uala, a potato. 

Uila, lightning. 

Uha, the thigh. 

Uhi, 2l 3'am. 

Ulii, the bread-fruit. 

Ukeke, an ancient pulsatile musical 

instrument. 
Ulili, a bamboo flute. 
Uliuia, a beer made of cane-juice or 

the ti root. 
Ulu-maika, a game of rolling round 

stone disks. 
Ulaula, red ; the sacred color. 
Ulitili, blue. 

Uhinu, a pillow or head-rest. 
Unauna, a tabu mark. 
Unihipili, the spirit of a deceased 

person. 
Umiumi, the beard or whiskers. 

H. 

Hanai, a foster-child. 

Haiao, a day sacrifice. 

Haole, a foreigner. 

Hanuhan2i, an ancient pastime. 

Hala, the pandanus-tree. 

Hakaolelo, a chief's spy ; informer ; 

reporter of events. 
Haa, a singing dance. 
Haipo, a night sacrifice. 
Haku, a lord ; a master. 
Hakoko. wrestling, with a variety of 

holds. 
Hailima, the elbow. 
Hanauna , a relative. 
Hale, a house or dwelling. 
Hale-alii, the house of the chief ; the 

royal mansion. 



APPENDIX. 



527 



Hale-lole, a tent or cloth house. 

Hale-koa, a fort or house of war. 

Hak-lua, a grave or sepulchre. 

Haili, a ghost ; a name for a temple. 

Hazvane, the cocoa palm. 

Hau, a lascivious dance, or kula. 

Hekili, thunder. 

Heenalu, surf-riding. 

Heihei, foot-racing ; a large drum. 

Heie, the servant of a seer who re- 
ported his prophecies. 

Heiau, a temple or place of worship. 

Hikiee-moe, the stand for a bed. 

Hia, fire made b_v friction. 

Hika-po-loa, a name for the godhead. 

Hina. a game pla3-ed on a board 
with four squares. 

Hiiaka, a general name for volcanic 
deities. 

Hikini, sunrise ; the east. 

Bill, a dye, made of barks, for color- 
ing kapa. 

Hoa, a companion. 

Hoalii, a companion of the chief. 

Hokn, a star. 

hoku-paa, the north star. 

Hoku-hele, 3. planet or "wandering 
star." 

Hoku-lele, a meteor. 

Hoku-welowelo, a comet. 

Honua, the earth. 

Holiia, the pastime of sliding down 
precipitous hills on sledges. 

Hoao, the ancient marriage contract 
among the chiefs. 

Hoalauna, a friendly companion. 

Hoe, a paddle. 

Hoeicli , a rudder or steering-oar. 

Uoewaa, an oarsman. 

Hooilo, the rainy season. 

Hookama, an adopted child. 

Hokio, a musical instrument. 

Honu, a turtle. 

Hooktipu, gifts to chiefs by their sub- 
jects. 

Hoopalaii, a single combat in battle. 

Hita, an egg. 

Hue, a water-calabash or container. 

Hula, a dance, of which there were 
many varieties. 

Hulu, a feather. 

Huhiinanu, aids of a chief or king 
wearing plumes. 

K. 

JCaai, a girdle put around the loins 
of a god by a chief. 



Kao. the star Antares. 

Kaimoa, a pointed, poisonou3 shell, 
making a dangerous wound. 

Kapii, or Tal>tt,z. command, or inter- 
dict, of which there were several 
kinds ; a prerogative pertaining to 
chiefs, priests and temples. 

Kane, a husband ; the name of one 
of the godhead. 

Kauwa, a servant. 

Kai, the sea. 

Kaa-i, the neck. 

Kanaka, a man ; a male. 

Kanaka-ioale, a private citizen. 

Kanaka-maoli, an actual slave. 

Knikamahine, a girl or daughter. 

Kaiki-kane, a male child. 

Kaikunane, a brother. 

Kaiknahine, a sister. 

Kaliko, spotted. 

Kaioloa, the ceremony of putting a 
7naro on a god by the women of a 
chief. 

Kauniaha, a sacrifice to the gods. 

Kaumihau, a tabu by the high-priest, 
when a hog was baked, and men 
were temporarily separated from 
their wives. 

Kakuai, an offering to the gods at 
daily meals, generall}'- of bananas. 

Kahoaka, the spirit of a living per- 
son, claimed to be visible to cer- 
tain classes of priests. 

Kamakini, a tabu worship for the 
chief alone. 

Kaula, a prophet. 

Kaula-wakiiie, a prophetess. 

Kao, a tradition ; a dart or javelin. 

Kaua, war ; a battle ; an army 
marching to battle. 

Kaiialau, a plantain. 

Kakaka, a bow for shooting arrows, 
not used in war. ^ 

Kaukaualii, inferior chiefs with titled 
fathers and untitled mothers. 

Kanikau, a funeral dirge ; a mourn- 
ful song. 

Kapa, a native cloth. 

Kalo, or Taro, a bulbous root from 
which /oi' is made. 

Kahili, a standard of feathers ; an 
emblem of high rank. 

Kani, music. 

Kahuna, a priest, doctor orsorcerer. 

Kahu, a nurse or guardian of a child. 

Kahu-alii, chiefs of the lesser no- 
bility acting as personal attend- 
ants to the king. 



528 



APPENDIX. 



Kapua, a wizard. 

Kaike, a large sacrificial drum. 

Kamaa, sandals. 

Kapiina, a grandparent. 

Kapuna-kah'ko, ancestors. 

Kail, the dr}' season. 

Keiki, a child. 

Keena, a room or apartment, 

Keokeo, white. 

Kekuieliia, a war implement. 

Kino, the body. 

Kilo, a prophet. 

Kihi, the native sweet potato. 

Kilu, an indoor game of amusement. 

Kihei, a cloth worn over the shoul- 
ders. 

Konane, a game resembling draughts. 

Koa, coral ; a species of wood ; a 
warrior. 

Koilipi, an ax% for cutting stone. 

Ko, sugar-cane. 

Koeio, a garden of a chief, cultivated 
b)' his people. 

Koheoheo, a poisonous mixture pro- 
ducing speedy death. 

Koipohaku, a stone axe. 

Koloa, a duck. 

Kona, a south wind ; the south side 
of an island. 

Koolau, a windward district or divi- 
sion. 

Kiia, the back of a person, 

Ktili, the knee. 

Kuekue, the heel. 

Kumu, a fish tabu to women. 

Kiioha, a prayer to incite sexual love 
in another. 

Kupua, a sorcerer. 

Kuai, a war implement. 

Kuleana, a small landed possession 
within the boundaries of an estate 
belonging to another. 

Kupee, a string of shells; a bracelet ; 
an ornament. 

Kuahive, high lands. 

Kumu, a teacher. 

Kuahana, a war messenger de- 
spatched when a general call to 
arms was made. 

Kukiii, a light; a torch made from 
the nuts of the kiiktii tree. 

L. 

Laau, a tree; wood. 
Lau, a leaf, 
Lala, a limb. 
Lae, the forehead. 



La, the sun. 

Lani, the heavens. 

Laau-palau, a knife used in husband- 

r)', sometimes in war. 
Lanahu, coals. 
Lanai, a veranda, or house with open 

sides. 
Lehekhe, the lips. 
Lenalena, yellow, the royal color. 
Lei, a wreath of flowers or feathers. 
Lepa, a flag or ensign. 
Lehua, an aromatic shrub. 
Liliha, the fat of hogs. 
Loko, a lake or pond. 
Lima, the hand. 
Lou, a hook; a fish-hook. 
Loulu, a cocoanut. 
Luawai, a well. 
Luakina, the house of sacrifice in a 

temple. 
Luau, a feast. 
Liia, an ancient practice of killing 

by breaking bones. 
Lufia, an overseer, 
Lunapai, a war messenger of a king 

or chief. 

M. 

Maa, a sling for throwing stones. 

Mahu, steam. 

Maiuu, the finger-nails. 

Mahioli, a feather helmet worn by 
chiefs. 

Main, a fragrant and greatly es- 
teemed plant. 

Mauka, toward the hills or moun- 
tains. 

Malama, a month; a purveyor in trav- 
eling, 

Mapuna, a spring. 

Maka, the eye. 

Manamana-lijna, a finger. 

Ma>iat?iana-7uawae, a toe. 

Ma7iu, general name for birds. 

Makuakane, a father or uncle. 

Makuahine, a mother or aunt. 

Mahini, the moon. 

Mahitii-hou, the new moon. 

Mahini-peopeo, the full moon. 

Makani, ihe wind. 

Makani-ino, a storm. 

Makalii, the beginning of the Ha- 
waiian new year. 

Maliu, a deified deceased chief. 

Afaia, a general name for plantains 
and bananas, tabu to women. 

Malaolao, evening twilight. 



APPENDIX. 



529 



Mano, the shark ; every species was 

tabu to women. 
Makaai7iani, the common people. 
Maro, a cloth worn around the loins 

of males. 
Alamo, a bird; a royal feather mantle; 

descendants. 
Manele, a palanquin for chiefs, with 

four bearers. 
Mahele, circumcision. 
Mahana, chiefs near the throne. 
Mele, an historical chant or song. 
Mele-inoa, a personal chant or song. 
Moa, a fowl. 
Moo, a lizard. 
Maikai, toward the sea. 
Mooolelo, a narrative of past events. 
Mookaao, an historical legend. 
Aloko, boxing. 
Moko-jHoko, a boxer. 
Momi, a pearl. 
Moae, the trade winds. 
Afoi, a king, or principal chief. 
Mil, the person who procured men 

for sacrifice. 
Muliwai, a stream, or river. 
Mumuku, a violent gust of wind. 

N. 

Naua, a pedigree. 

Nene, a goose. 

Niu, the cocoanut tree and fruit. 

Ninalo, the fruit of the hala tree. 

Noho, a seat. 



Pa, a dish or platter; a fence or wall. 

Paji, a short skirt worn by women; 
completed, finished. 

Pahalc, a lawn or other enclosure. 

Pahu, a general name for a drum. 

Papa, a board; a sledge used in the 
pastime of hohia. 

Papalina. the cheek. 

Paliidi, paradise. 

Pahi, general term for a knife or cut- 
ting instrument. 

Pakiko, an ancient war implement. 

Palala, an)^ tax paid to a chief. 

Paiialaati, a distant possession of 
lands. 

Papafaina, a table of any kind. 

Pahoa, a dagger, generally of wood. 

Palaoa, n carved ivory talisman worn 
around the neck by chiefs. 

Pali, a precipice. 



Paiai, pounded taro for making /oz. 

Pahoehoe, lava. 

Pawa, a garden ; a small cultivated 

field. 
Pea, an elevated cross before a /zczaw, 

signifying sacred. 
Peleleu, a large double war canoe. 
Pipeiao, the ear. 

Pipi, an oyster ; clam ; shell-fish. 
Poi, the paste of taro. 
Po'i, a. cover or lid. 
Poo, the head. 
Poohiwi, the shoulder. 
Poni, purple. 
Pokahu, a stone. 
Pouli ka la, an eclipse. 
Po, night; darkness; the realms of 

death ; chaos. 
Pola, a raised platform over double 

canoes. 
Polohi, a long war spear. 
Pita, a flower. 
Puka, a door. 
Puuwai, the heart. 
Puaa, a hog. • 

Puaa-keiki, a pig. 
Pnahiohio, a whirlwind. 
Puhenehene, an indoor pastime. 
Punipeki, a. child's game. 
Pueo, an owl. 
Puana, a leader in meles ; a starter 

of words. 
Pukaua, an officer in the army ; a 

captain ; a champion. 
Pule, a prayer. 
Pulelelua, a butterfly. 
Pmiahek, a friend or companion. 
Puloulou, a tabu staff, crowned with 

balls of kapa. 
Puuku, inferior chiefs, personal at- 
tendants of the king. 

w. 

Waa, a general name for canoe. 

Wai, a general name for water. 

Waiali, the platform from which 
chiefs addressed the people. 

Wahine, a woman ; females gene- 
rally. 

Wahi-moe, a bed. 

Wahie, wood for burning. 

Wanaao, the dawn. 

Wawae, a leg or foot. 

Waipuilaiii. a waterspout. 

IVautt, t!ie inner bark of a tree from 
which cloth is made. 

Wahinc-hoao, the real wife. 



530 



APPENDIX. 



Will, lightning. 

IViliwili, a light wood from which 
surf-boards were made. 



CARDINAL NUMBERS. 

One, Akahi. 

Two, Alua. 

Three, Akolu. 

Four, Aha. 

Five, Alima. 

Six, Aono. 

Seven, Ahiku. 

Eight, Awalu. 

Nine, Aiwa. 

Ten, Umi. 

Eleven, U??iikut?iamakaki. 

Twelve, Umikumamalua. 

Thirteen, Umikumamakolii. 

Fourteen, Umikumamaha. 

Fifteen, Umikuniamalima. 

Sixteen, Umikumamaono. 

Seventeen, Umikumainahiku. 

Eighteen, Umikumamawalu. 

Nineteen, Umikumamaiwa. 

Twenty, Iwakalua. 

Twenty-one, Iwakaluakumamakahi. 

Twenty-two, Iwakaluakutnamalua. 

Twenty-three, Iwakaluakumamakolo. 

Twenty-four, Iwakaluakumamaha. 

Twenty-five, Iwakaluakumamalhna. 

Twenty-six, Iwakaluakumai7iaono. 

T-wenty-s&ven,A-ujakaluakumamahiku 

T-wQnX.y-e.\gh.\.,Awakaluaku?namawalu. 

Twent)'-nine, Awakaluakumamaiwa. 

Thirty, Kanakolu. 

Forty, Kanaka. 

Fifty, Kanalima. 

Sixty, Kanaono. 

Sevent}', Kanahiku. 

Eighty, Kanawalu. 

Ninety, Kanaiwa. 

One hundred, Hookahi haneri (mod- 
ern). 

One thousand, Ilookahitausani (mod- 
em). 



NAMES OF THE MONTHS. 

January, Makalii. 
February, Kaelo. 
March, Kaulua. 
April, Nana. 
May, Welo, 
June, Ikiiki. 
July, Kaaona. 
August, Hinaieleele. 
September, Hilinehu. 
October, Hilinama. 
November, Ikuwa. 
December, Welehu. 

NAMES OF THE DAYS OF THE MONTH. 

I St, Hilo. 

2d, Hoaka. 

3d, Kukahi. 

4th, Kulua. 

5th, Kakolo. 

6th, Kupau, 

7th, Olekukahi. 

8th, Olekulua. 

9th, Olekukolu. 
loth, Olekupau. 
nth, Huna. 
I2th, Mohalu. 
13th, Hua. 
14th, Akua. 
15th, Hoku. 
i6th, Mahealani. 
17th, Kulu. 
l8th, Laaukukahi. 
igth, Laaukulua. 
20th, Laaupau. 
2ist, Olekukahi. 
22d, Olekulua. 
23d, Olepau. 
24th, Kaloakukahi, 
25th, Kaloakulua. 
26th, Kaloapau. 
27th, Kane. 
28th, Lono. 
29th, Mauli. 
30th, Muku. 






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